Citizens
For Legitimate Governmentis a multi-partisan
activist group established to expose the Bush
coup d'etat, and to oppose the Bush
occupation in all of its manifestations.

May
2004 Archives

Halliburton
[war] tab swamps Bush's estimateSpending
projection: $150 billion by 2005 --With troop commitments growing,
the cost of Halliburton ['the war in Iraq'] could top $150
billion through the next fiscal year — as much as three times
what the White House had originally estimated. And, according to congressional
researchers and outside budget experts, the war and continuing occupation
could total $300 billion over the
next decade, making this one of the costliest corporate welfare ['military
campaigns'] in modern times. [Chart]

Top
brass 'picked man who ordered torture'
The torture tactics used to "soften up" Iraqi detainees at Baghdad's
Abu Ghraib jail began under orders from the highest level of the US
defence dictatorship, it was claimed yesterday.
The creation of torture units was the consequence of orders by the Defence
Department – headed by Secretary Donald Rumsfeld–
to prise information out of prisoners. Unreleased images from Baghdad
are reported to show:AMERICAN soldiers beating an Iraqi
to a bloody pulp. A MALE US soldier having sex [Rape] with a
female Iraqi inmate. SOLDIERS acting inappropriately with a dead
body. A VIDEO allegedly showing Iraqi guards raping young boys.

A
failure of leadership at the highest levels
(ArmyTimes.com) "Around the halls of the Pentagon, a term of caustic
derision has emerged for the enlisted soldiers at the heart of the furor
over the Abu Ghraib prison scandal: the six morons who lost the war...
But the folks in the Pentagon are talking
about the wrong morons. ...But while responsibility begins
with the six soldiers facing criminal charges, it extends all the way
up the chain of command to the highest reaches of the military hierarchy
and its civilian leadership. The entire affair is a failure of leadership
from start to finish... This was not just a failure of leadership
at the local command level. This was a failure that ran straight to
the top. Accountability here is essential — even if that means relieving
top leaders from duty in a time of war."

Most
Iraqi detainees 'arrested by mistake'Occupation military intelligence officers believed 70-90
per cent of Iraqi detainees were "arrested by mistake", according
to a leaked Red Cross report on prisoner abuse, further details of which
were disclosed on Monday.

Amnesty
report lists 37 'disputed' killings by UK forces
Hanan Matrud, an eight-year-old girl shot dead by British troops in
Basra. She is one of 37 Iraqi civilians killed in disputed circumstances
by UK soldiers. Today,
an independent report into all these deaths presents new problems for
the allies, already reeling from allegations of torture and abuse

Amnesty:
UK troops shot civilians
As furor grows over the mistreatment of Iraqi detainees, a report from
a human rights group has charged that British troops occupying southern
Iraq killed a dozen civilians who posed no threat to them.

Hoon:
I never saw abuse report
Britain's Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has told the House of Commons
that neither he nor fellow ministers saw a Red Cross report detailing
alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by some British soldiers.

MoD
was told of Iraqi prisoners' abuse a year ago
Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, may have only seen details of allegations
of brutality by British troops within the past week, but the International
Committee of the Red Cross and Amnesty International began investigating
claims that occupation forces had abused and humiliated Iraqi captives
more than a year ago.

Human
stories which implicate British soldiers in Iraqi abusesAn Amnesty report on
the role of British forces in Iraq paints a devastating picture of soldiers
killing civilians, cases not properly investigated and families left
in the dark about the fate of their relatives --'Captain apologised
for death in the dark'

Blair:
I will quit if I become electoral liability
Tony Blair will stand aside as prime minister and make way for Gordon
Brown to succeed him as Labour leader if he comes to believe that he
is a liability to his party's electoral prospects, he has told close
associates.

Former
detainees tell of torture in US prisons throughout IraqHuman
rights campaigners say torture is endemic
at [US concentration] camps across the country. From north to south,
Iraqis have detailed abuse at US-run detention centres as military officials
insist gruesome deeds at Abu Ghraib jail were the work of a few and
not an indictment of the entire system. But human rights campaigners
say torture is endemic at camps across the country, while others lambast
the US military for continuing to deny all but the International Committee
of the Red Cross access to security detainees.

Mistreatment
Of Detainees Went Beyond Guards' AbuseEx-Prisoners,
Red Cross Cite Flawed Arrests, Denial of Rights --Problems in the
U.S.-run detention system in Iraq extended beyond physical mistreatment
in prison cellblocks, involving thousands of arrests without evidence
of wrongdoing and abuse of suspects starting from the moment of detention,
according to former prisoners, Iraqi lawyers, human rights advocates
and the International Committee for the Red Cross.

Iraq
abuse allegations multiply
More allegations of mistreatment by US and British prison staff in Iraq
have emerged in the international media. The alleged abuses include
the stripping and beating of a 12-year-old girl and an imam being forced
to wear women's underwear and locked up with female prisoners. According
to Italy's La Repubblica newspaper, a group of Sunni clerics
is compiling a list of complaints from inmates at Baghdad's infamous
Abu Ghraib jail.

Prisoners
'threatened with Guantanamo'
British and American soldiers yesterday faced further accusations of
abuses against Iraqi prisoners in a report on human rights violations
released by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The
report details incidents of pistol whippings and beatings as well as
threats to send prisoners to America's military detention centre in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Contractor:
Army Happy With Torturers ['Interrogators']
The chief executive of a defense contractor that provides civilian torturers
['interrogators'] to the scandal-ridden Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq said
the Army is pleased with its work and that its employees fully understand
they are under military authority. "It's been
reported to us that we're doing a fine job. That's from our
customer (the Army), and those are the people who count," J.P. "Jack"
London said Monday in a telephone interview.

Soldier:
Role was to 'make it hell' for prisoners
Reservist tells of orders from intelligence officers There were no rules,
by her account, and there was little training. But the mission was clear.
Spec. Sabrina D. Harman, a military police officer who has been charged
with abusing detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, said she was
assigned to break down prisoners for interrogation. Harman, a 26-year-old
Army reservist from Alexandria, said members of her military police
unit took direction from Army military
intelligence officers, from CIA operatives and from civilian contractors
who conducted interrogations.

Abu
Ghraib photos left on vandalised Gaza graves
Protesters damaged 30 grave-stones at the Commonwealth war cemetery
near Gaza City at the weekend and plastered others with photographs
of occupation soldiers in Iraq abusing detainees in Abu Ghraib prison.

US
approved harsh techniques at Guantanamo
The US Defence Department last year approved interrogation techniques
for use at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba that include forcing inmates
to strip naked and subjecting them to loud music, bright lights and
sleep deprivation, the Washington Post reported today. The techniques
were approved in April 2003 and require approval
from senior Pentagon officials and in some cases US Defence Secretary
[W-ar criminal] Donald Rumsfeld, the
paper reported on its website, citing unnamed defence officials.

Bush
Says Rumsfeld Is 'Doing a Superb Job'He
aims to head off speculation that defense chief might resign; senators
plan another prisoner abuses hearing. Bush Gives
Rumsfeld Strong EndorsementDictator Bush delivered a strong
public endorsement of his embattled defense secretary [W-ar
criminal] today and pledged a "full accounting" for the abuse of Iraqi
prisoners at the hands of U.S. military personnel in a notorious Baghdad
prison. After a meeting at the Pentagon with Defense Secretary Donald
H. Rumsfeld and top national security officials, Bush made a point of
effusively thanking [W-ar criminal]
Rumsfeld for his 'leadership' despite growing calls for his removal
over the prisoner abuse scandal.

Bush
Says U.S. Owes Rumsfeld 'Debt of Gratitude'
Dictator Bush strongly backed [W-ar
criminal] Donald Rumsfeld on Monday and said America owed him a debt
of gratitude [?!?], countering calls by Democrats for the defense secretary
to resign over his handling of the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. Meanwhile,
the independent Army Times newspaper, widely read in the U.S. military,
on Monday rebuked Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, for "a failure of leadership," adding that accountability
might mean "relieving top leaders from duty in a time of war."

Speech
met with disbeliefArab
commentators reacted with shock and disbelief to US Dictator George
Bush's robust backing of Defence Secretary [W-ar
criminal] Donald Rumsfeld. Critics had called for Rumsfeld to
quit after the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. But analysts, editors and
ordinary Arabs were united in their condemnation of Bush on Monday when
he said the nation owed the defence secretary a "debt of gratitude".

Rumsfeld
Criticized by Influential Military Paper
The independent Army Times newspaper, read widely in the U.S. military,
on Monday suggested Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other top
Pentagon civilian and military leaders should be removed over
the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal.

Rumsfeld
apologizes, accepts responsibilty for POW abuse
(armytimes.com) Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said May 7 he takes
"full responsibility" for apparent abuses committed by U.S.
troops at Iraq’s now-notorious Abu Ghraib prison, but added he does
not think he should resign... Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman
of the Joint Chiefs, said troops in Iraq have been deeply affected by
the images. "They’re walking with their heads held a little bit
lower right now," Myers said.

Soldier's
reply to Rumsfeld (militarycity.com) hanging
heads low? --by artdlg01 Location: back from Iraq! "The
last part of this article says, soldiers are hanging there heads a little
low right now. PEOPLE!! soldiers have been hanging thier heads low a
lot longer than you think! I was in Iraq for my tour, and will be deploying
back within 6 to 10 months. I'm already hanging my head low! ...Soldeirs
are starting to feel the strain of this so-called 'libeartion' in Iraq
and back home. Who will no look out for the soldiers, we are walking
a thin line, and we are going to pay dearly with the loss of our own
military men and women. So Mr. Rumsfield apologizing, spilling his heart
out to the people and to the house, but it still won't change a thing.
The Iraqis hate us, they hate us more than ever. The longer we stay,
the futher we fall into a hole, a hole without a cause. Troops will
continue die, but for what? Somebody please tell me, because I don't
know anymore."
[sic: various misspellings]

Armytimes.com
Poll:
Who do you
think is more culpable for recent allegations of abuse of Iraqi prisoners
at Abu Ghraib Prison?

US
announces first court martial for abuse
The US military sought to stem outrage at home and in the Arab world
at the treatment of Iraqi detainees yesterday by announcing that the
first court martial of a soldier accused in the affair will be held
this month in the Iraqi capital.

Fallujah
Rebels, Residents, Police Celebrate Victory over U.S. Marines
--by Dahr Jamail "The US 1st Marine Division sent a small convoy
into Fallujah today in order to meet with the mayor and show cooperation
with the Iraqi Police (IP) and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC). But
the supposed show of force was a pre-arranged exercise. Immediately
following the Marines’ departure, the embattled city erupted into what
could only be described as a huge victory celebration
over the US military. Residents were joined by fully armed
resistance fighters who intermingled freely with uniformed IP and ICDC
personnel."

Bomb
Explosion Damages Iraqi Oil Pipeline
Resistance fighters bombed an oil pipeline in southern Iraq, setting
off a huge blaze and slashing daily Iraqi oil exports by about 25
percent, or 450,000 barrels per day, an official said Monday.

FBI
Agent Was Prevented From Relaying Warning on 9/11 Hijackers
More than a year before 9/11, CIA officials prevented an FBI agent working
with the CIA from passing vital information to his agency on two suspected
al CIAduh members — men who later would become Sept. 11 hijackers.
The CIA maintains the information had already been passed to the FBI,
and that was why the agent did not need to warn his bosses. The CIA
cites a statement provided to Congress on Oct. 17, 2002. In it, CIA
Director George Tenet refers to e-mails that agency officials say prove
the information was provided to the FBI. FBI officials, however,
told ABCNEWS they had no record of these e-mails.

The
White VanWere
Israelis Detained on Sept. 11 Spies? (June 21, 2002) A New Jersey
homemaker saw something that morning that prompted an investigation
into five young Israelis and their possible connection to Israeli intelligence...
The arresting officers said they saw a lot that aroused their suspicion
about the men. One of the passengers had $4,700 in cash hidden in
his sock. Another was carrying two foreign passports. A box cutter
was found in the van. But perhaps the biggest surprise for the officers
came when the five men identified themselves as Israeli citizens...

Israeli
men arrested after high-speed chase in Tenn.
The chase began late Saturday afternoon when Unicoi County Sheriff Kent
Harris noticed a rental truck traveling at a high speed along former
U.S. Highway 23, a lightly traveled highway near the North Carolina
state line... Once the men were apprehended, officers found a business
card that offered flying lessons in Florida, leading Harris and others
to express concern about security at the Nuclear Fuel Services plant
in Erwin. Harris said Shmuel Dahan gave authorities a fake Florida driver's
license issued in Plantation, Fla., while Almaliach Naor produced a
fake identification card.

Homeland
Security/Pentagon to simulate toxin attack over NYC
Researchers are making plans to release a benign [?!?] gas in the urban
canyons of Manhattan, perhaps in the vicinity of Madison Square Garden,
to simulate how toxins might disperse in a terrorist attack.
The exercise will build on a recently completed pilot study on wind
patterns in a nine-block area of Manhattan's West Village. Within the
past several months, the proposed New York study was merged into a broader
effort being coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security.

Study
Examines Govt. Web Sites for Terror
The overwhelming majority of federal Web sites that reveal information
about airports, power plants, military bases and other attractive terrorist
targets need not be censored because similar or better information is
easily available elsewhere, a taxpayer-financed study found.

Nutball's
new Weapon of Mass
Distraction:Exclusive:
New Bush space speech planned Dictator George W. Bush plans
to make a major speech early this summer defending his plan for a new
U.S. space exploration initiative, regime sources told United Press
International. Sources said although drafting the speech -- termed a
vigorous call to support the dictator's new space exploration policy
he announced last January -- has not yet begun, aides have been narrowing
prospective dates and venues. "The president [sic] wants to speak
about space," a senior regime source said.

Medicare
Contractor Firm Donates to GOP
A few weeks after the Bush regime named Medco to be one of the first
Medicare drug card providers, a company executive helped throw a
$100,000 fund-raiser for the dictator
that was headlined by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.
In all, companies that won approval from Thompson's department to be
the first Medicare drug discount card providers spent at least
$35 million lobbying in 2003, and their executives and lobbyists
donated or raised hundreds of thousands of dollars more for Bush's re-s-election,
an Associated Press review found.

Bush's
tanked economy:Dow
closes below 10,000 U.S. stocks fell for the third straight
session on Monday, pushing the blue-chip Dow below the psychologically
key 10,000 level for the first time since last December, amid intensifying
fears the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates as early as June.

Markets
falter amid fears over US rate rises
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed below 10,000 on Monday on a
day of turbulence for stock markets around the world, caused by fears
of higher US interest rates and a slowdown in the world economy.

Bush
approval hits new lows in pollSupport for W-ar in Iraq also lowest
ever --Dictator Bush holds a single-point lead over Democratic challenger
John Kerry in the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll of likely voters,
but voters' approval of Bush's performance and support for the war in
Iraq dropped to new lows in the survey.

'Snarling
dogs used against inmate'
US magazines today published graphic new reports of Iraqi prison abuses,
including a photo showing a naked prisoner cowering under threat from
two military dogs and witness accounts of beatings and rape. The New
Yorker magazine, which was among the first to publish photos that
have caused an international scandal, showed the man cowering from the
dogs and said other photos existed from the same scene, showing the
prisoner on the floor with blood pouring from a wound.

Chain
of CommandHow the Department of Defense mishandled the disaster at Abu Ghraib.
--by Seymour M. Hersh "One of the new photographs shows a young
soldier, wearing a dark jacket over his uniform and smiling into the
camera, in the corridor of the jail. In the background are two Army
dog handlers, in full camouflage combat gear, restraining two German
shepherds. The dogs are barking at a man who is partly obscured from
the camera’s view by the smiling soldier. Another image shows that the
man, an Iraqi prisoner, is naked. His hands are clasped behind his neck
and he is leaning against the door to a cell, contorted with terror,
as the dogs bark a few feet away. Other photographs show the dogs straining
at their leashes and snarling at the prisoner. In another, taken a few
minutes later, the Iraqi is lying on the ground, writhing in pain, with
a soldier sitting on top of him, knee pressed to his back. Blood is
streaming from the inmate’s leg. Another photograph is a closeup of
the naked prisoner, from his waist to his ankles, lying on the floor.
On his right thigh is what appears to be a bite or a deep scratch. There
is another, larger wound on his left leg, covered in blood."

New
picture and military critics increase pressure on Bush· Fresh revelations
place Rumsfeld in jeopardy · Blair apologises to Iraqis abused by
British soldiers --Fresh revelations about Iraqi prisoner abuse - with
photographs of a naked, cowering detainee in front of barking dogs -
overwhelmed the Bush regime's efforts to contain the scandal yesterday
and placed the future of the defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, in
further jeopardy.

Congress
to See Unreleased Abuse Photos
Bracing for what the defense secretary has described as "sadistic" pictures,
Congress will see the unreleased photos showing Iraqi prisoners being
abused by U.S. soldiers, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee
said Sunday.

Blair
Apologizes for Abuses in Iraq Prime Minister Poodle Tony Blair
apologized Sunday for any abuses committed by British soldiers in Iraq,
and said those responsible would be punished.

Hoon
to address Commons as abuse scandal deepens
Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, has bowed to pressure to make an
emergency Commons statement today on the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners
of war by British troops after Downing Street admitted that it was warned
of such allegations by the Red Cross in February.

Early
signs were given secondary priority
Although the specific abuses at Abu Ghraib occurred far down the chain
of command from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, it was a chain closely
supervised from the top. Indeed, in cases of high-level detainees,
rules imposed by Rumsfeld dictated that Pentagon
officials up to and including the Defense secretary be involved in approving
the use of coercive interrogation methods.

On Monday,
the Army, Marine, Air Force and Navy Times will publish editorials
calling for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Myers. Face the Nation
(CBS news) transcript
- Sunday, May 9, 2004 (.pdf)

Donald
Rumsfeld Should Go
(The New York Times) "It is time now for Mr. Rumsfeld to go, and
not only because he bears personal responsibility for the scandal of
Abu Ghraib... This is far from a case of a fine cabinet official undone
by the actions of a few obscure bad apples in the military police. Donald
Rumsfeld has morphed, over the last two years, from a man of supreme
confidence to arrogance, then to almost willful blindness."

Majority
of Iraqis want U.S. to withdraw
Occupation authorities have commissioned a report which paints the bleakest
picture yet of the U.S.-occupation's reputation in Iraq. For the first
time, according to Dulame’s poll, a majority of Iraqis said they’d feel
safer if the U.S. military withdrew immediately.

Poll
shows majority want UK troops to pull out
Independent/MOP poll Should British troops pull out of Iraq by 30th
June?55 per cent: YES;
28 per cent: NO; 17 per cent: DON'T KNOW --Voters support the withdrawal
of all British troops from Iraq by the end of next month by a majority
of two to one, a poll for The Independent reveals today.

Jesse
Jackson Calls for Troop Withdrawal
The Rev. Jesse Jackson has urged the Bush regime to withdraw American
troops from Iraq and carry out a thorough investigation of human rights
violations in the war-torn country.

Shiite
Cleric's Militia Seizes Control of Baghdad Slum
Armed Resistance fighters and commanders loyal to radical Shiite Muslim
cleric Moqtada Sadr took over the giant Sadr City slum in Baghdad on
Sunday, seizing control of police forces, municipal administration and
schools and 'blocking freedom of movement in an area' just five miles
east of U.S. occupation headquarters. Teenagers
wielding rocket-propelled grenade launchers commanded entrances to the
slum, home to about a third of Baghdad's 5 million residents.
[Looks like defeat is at hand for the Bush-Blair terror team...]

U.S.
Tanks Push Into Iraqi Stronghold
U.S. forces stepped up pressure on Shiite gunmen loyal to radical cleric
Muqtada al-Sadr, pushing with tanks into the holy city of Kufa and assaulting
militia positions in the narrow streets of a Shiite enclave in Baghdad.
At least 34 Iraqis were killed.

Iraq
Oil Exports Cut by Pipeline Sabotage
A sabotage attack against a southern pipeline has reduced Iraq's oil
exports sharply, the South Oil Company President said on Monday. "The
situation is not good,'' Jabar al-Leaby told Reuters, but declined
to say how much oil was still being exported.

Our
dead are outnumbered: In Memoriam
--by Mark Yannone "There were another 10,000 civilians [killed]
who were known only to their families and their neighbors. We might
remember them too and wonder why we are paying $1 billion a day to have
this done. Executive Order 13303 of May 28, 2003, may provide a clue:
...(b) all Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and interests
therein, and proceeds, obligations, or any financial instruments of
any nature whatsoever arising from or related to the sale or marketing
thereof, and interests therein, in which any foreign country or a national
thereof has any interest, that are in the United States, that hereafter
come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within
the possession or control of United States persons."

US
Troops Intrude Into Pakistan Again
US forces in the border area of Afghanistan intruded into Pakistani
territory for the third time this week late Friday night. The US troops
crossed over into the Lawara Mandi area of North Waziristan Agency at
around 7 p.m. on Friday.

Heads
up! Is the Bush dictatorship preparing to play its trump card, as the
Iraq W-ar crimes scandal threatens to topple
the principle terrorists in his regime?Threat
of 'Dirty Bomb' Growing, Officials SayRadioactive material
is common and often not secured. Al CIAduh is
said to be planning an attack. Concerns are growing that
Al CIAduh or a related group could detonate a "dirty bomb" that
would spew radioactive fallout across an American or European city,
according to intelligence analysts, diplomats and independent nuclear
experts.

U.S.
Embassy in Japan Issues Attack Warning E-Mail
The United States embassy in Japan issued an e-mail warning to U.S.
citizens on Monday about a possible bomb attack against the mission
this week, but added that it was unable to determine whether the threat
was credible.

Japan's
Topix Index Has Biggest Slide Since Sept. 11 Attacks
Japanese stocks plunged, dragging the Topix index to its biggest slide
since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Kyocera Corp. and Mizuho Financial
Group Inc. led declines after a U.S. labor report fueled concerns the
Federal Reserve will raise interest rates as soon as next month.

Japanese
stocks plunge, TOPIX loses 5.7 percent
Japanese stocks plunged on Monday, with the TOPIX index posting its
biggest percentage drop since the September 11, 2001 attacks as the
prospect of higher U.S. interest rates fanned fears of further Wall
Street losses. Some traders said selling was fuelled by a warning
from the United States embassy in Japan about a possible bomb attack
against the mission this week, although the embassy said
it was unable to determine whether a threat it had received was credible.

Is
Mel's next passion to takeover Disney?Gibson
reported to be approached about being co.'s new face --Will Mel
Gibson fill Walt Disney's shoes? A rumor that Gibson, who demonstrated
he can connect to conservative America with "The Passion of the Christ,"
may be involved with a group looking to engineer a takeover of the Walt
Disney Co. continued to gather steam over the weekend....

Gas
Prices Jump 10 Cents to $1.93/Gallon
Over the past two weeks, average U.S. retail gasoline prices took their
biggest jump since last August, when a multi-state power blackout hit
prices, and they could go higher yet, an industry analyst said on Sunday.

Kerry
Says Bush Must Do More to Lower Oil Price
Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry criticized the Bush dictatorship
on Friday for not doing enough to fight high petroleum prices, as U.S.
crude oil soared to $40 a barrel -- the highest level in more than 13
years.

In
New Offensive, Kerry Raps Bush on Health Costs
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Monday will launch a
week-long assault against Dictator Bush over skyrocketing health
care costs, as part of a new push in battleground states to counter
Republican inroads with seniors.

Bank
of America expands India outsourcing
Bank of America Corp. may hire 1,500 people at its subsidiary after
it opens in southern India this month, 50 percent more than previously
disclosed, and the bank has reserved land that would allow for even
more expansion.

Blair
faces resignation call
Prime Minister Poodle Tony Blair, dogged by speculation about his future,
faced a call for his resignation on Sunday by a senior member of his
Labour Party.

Cheney
Defends Rumsfeld: 'Get Off His Case'
Vice pResident Dick Cheney moved
to support Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld amid a firestorm over Iraqi
prison abuses, with a statement that people should "get off his case"
and let Rumsfeld do his job. "Don Rumsfeld
is the best secretary of defense the United States has ever had,"
Cheney, who has sometimes taken a lead role in advancing White House
positions, said in a statement issued by his office late on Saturday.
"People ought to get off his case and let him
do his job," Cheney said. [Yes, Rumsfeld will continue
to do his job, as Adolf Eichmann did his...]

Rice
Says She and Bush 'Strongly' Support Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense
Donald H. Rumsfeld retains "the strongest possible support" from Dictator
Bush and the White House, the national security adviser, Condoleezza
Rice, said Saturday, a day after Mr. Rumsfeld testiLIED
for six hours in Congress about the abuse by Americans of Iraqi prisoners.

Prison-Abuse
Panel Is Third in Bush's War on 'Terrorism'
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's announcement on Friday that an
independent review board would examine the abuse of Iraqi prisoners
means that three blue-ribbon panels will be
investigating the Bush dictatorship's conduct of what it
describes as the war on 'terrorism,' including the war in Iraq.

'Torture
camp' alleged at 2nd detention center
A U.S. resident who was held prisoner by the United States in another
detention center in Iraq last year says prisoners there were also beaten
and sexually humiliated. Hossam Shaltout said widespread mistreatment
by soldiers in Camp Bucca detention center in southern Iraq was as inhumane
as that depicted in recent photos from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

US
military confirms existence of horrific pictures and video
The Bush dictatorship was bracing itself last night for the release
of new pictures and video footage from Abu Ghraib which show US
soldiers having sex with an Iraqi woman prisoner[that
would be RAPE], troops almost beating a prisoner to death, and the
rape of young boys by Iraqi guards at the jail.

Death
Probes on Rise
At least 25 POWs have died while in custody in Iraq and Afghanistan
since 2002, Army officials have revealed. Some were shot during riots
or while trying to escape. One died after passing out during an interrogation.
Many deaths involved CIA officers and private contractors. Some
of the deaths have already been ruled homicides. Others were said to
be natural causes. Some are unexplained.

Pic
That Proves QLR Took Photos of Beaten Iraqis
A soldier has produced damning proof that British troopers took "trophy"
photos of Iraqi prisoners being abused. Soldier D photographed a colleague
in the Queen's Lancashire Regiment snapping a bound captive with bloodied
teeth in the back of an armoured personnel carrier.

When
did British ministers know of prison torture?
Defence ministers will face angry questions from MPs this week about
why the Government claimed to know nothing about allegations of abuse
of Iraqi prisoners by British troops, months after the authorities had
been tipped off by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The Ministry of Defence, meanwhile, is facing fresh claims about the
conduct of British troops in Basra over eight
new cases of Iraqi civilians allegedly being shot dead in cold blood,
The Independent on Sunday can reveal.

Amnesty
demands US war crimes inquiry
Amnesty International has called upon the United States to fully investigate
the abuse of Iraqi prisoners "to establish whether war crimes have
been committed". In a strongly-worded letter to US Dictator George
W Bush, the London-based human rights group expressed its outrage at
the abuse of Iraqi detainees by US soldiers at the Abu Ghraib jail in
Baghdad.

Early
Iraq Abuse Accounts Met With Silence
Detailed allegations of psychological abuse, deprivation, beatings and
deaths at U.S.-run prisons in Iraq were met by public silence from
the U.S. Army last October — six months before shocking photographs
stirred world outrage and demands for action.

Occupation
plays down Iraq abuse
The occupation dictator in Iraq has insisted Iraq is benefiting from
the occupation despite the publicity given to the abuse of prisoners
by US guards.

Abuse
photos undermine Bush's religious rhetoricChurch leaders object to casting God on U.S. side --The abuse
of Iraqi prisoners by some U.S. soldiers points to the danger of Dictator
Bush describing the occupation of Iraq and the war on terror as battles
between forces of good and the "evildoers" of the world, religious leaders
say.

Iraq
jail abuse albatross on Bush candidacy
Abuses US troops inflicted on Iraqi prisoners have also taken their
toll on Dictator George W. Bush's re-s-election
campaign, which rests largely on his image as a war-time president [sic].

This
is the new gulagBush
has created a global network of extra-legal and secret US prisons with
thousands of inmates --by Sidney Blumenthal "Bush
has created what is in effect a gulag. It stretches from
prisons in Afghanistan to Iraq, from Guantánamo to secret CIA prisons
around the world. There are perhaps 10,000 people being held in Iraq,
1,000 in Afghanistan and almost 700 in Guantánamo, but no one knows
the exact numbers. The law as it applies to them is whatever the executive
deems necessary. There has been nothing like this system since the
fall of the Soviet Union. The US military embraced the Geneva conventions
after the second world war, because applying them to prisoners of war
protects American soldiers. But the Bush administration, in an internal
fight, trumped its argument by designating those at Guantánamo 'enemy
combatants'. Rumsfeld extended this system - 'a legal black hole', according
to Human Rights Watch - to Afghanistan and then Iraq, openly rejecting
the conventions." [a must read]

Stupid
is as stupid does:Good
ol' girl who enjoyed cruelty Lynndie England, 21, a rail worker's
daughter, comes from a trailer park in Fort Ashby, West Virginia,
which locals proudly call "a backwoods world". She faces a court martial,
but at home she is toasted as a hero.
At the dingy Corner Club Saloon they think she has done nothing wrong.
"A lot of people here think they ought to just blow up the whole
of Iraq," Colleen Kesner said. "To the
country boys here, if you're a different nationality, a different race,
you're sub-human. That's the way girls like Lynndie are raised.
"Tormenting Iraqis, in her mind, would be no different from shooting
a turkey. Every season here you're hunting something. Over there, they're
hunting Iraqis."

Bush:
'Prison Scandal' [Scandal?!? W-ar Crimes]
Won't Deter U.S.
The abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American military guards is "a stain
on our country's honor and reputation" but will not deter America's
mission to bring democracy to Iraq, Dictator Bush pledged Saturday.
[The illegitimate Bush dictatorship *itself* is 'a stain on our country's
honor and reputation.']

American
Muslims Shamed by Prison Photos
Basem el-Kurd is a suburban, white-collar Republican who voted for George
Bush in the last presidential s-election.
But el-Kurd is also a Muslim, a Palestinian by birth, and the photos
of U.S. troops abusing Iraqi prisoners have sparked a bitter mix of
outrage, shock and shame within him... His anger was shared by many
American Muslims, who said they have had difficulty defending their
adopted country to relatives back home who saw photos of Iraqi prisoners
stripped naked, abused and humiliated by U.S. soldiers.

Iraq's
Shiites, Sunnis Form Anti-Occupation Body
Iraq's Sunnis and Shiites formed Saturday, May 8, a pan-religious body
to stream efforts for ending the occupation. The United Iraqi Scholars
Group -- which appointed a 16-strong leadership panel -- has vowed to
boycott any political group set up by the United States and called
for a stronger army than the small force envisioned by the US-led occupation
authority, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Blair
calls for Muslim troops as riots begin
Tony Blair is to push for Muslim troops from Pakistan to be deployed
in Iraq in a desperate attempt to
shore up the reputation of the occupation forces following the widely-condemned
images of abuse of Iraqi detainees. [Dictator Bush and Poodle Blair,
face reality. You have lost your insane and illegal war in Iraq. It
is time for you to go.]

Bomb
wounds three British soldiers in Basra
A roadside bomb has wounded three British soldiers in the Iraqi southern
city of Basra. A British patrol was caught in "a large explosion" in
the city centre, a British military spokesman said on Sunday, without
giving further details.

G.I.'s
Kill Scores of Militia Forces in 3 Iraqi Cities
American soldiers battled resistance fighters led by a rebel Shiite
cleric on Friday, killing scores of Iraqis, as the cleric delivered
a defiant, derisive sermon that dismissed Dictator Bush's expressions
of regret for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. "What kind of peace could
come from you or your agents when you feel pleasure at torturing prisoners?"
the 31-year-old cleric, Moktada al-Sadr, said to cheering supporters
at his mosque in Kufa. "How are you going to control the world when
you can't control a few soldiers here and there? If anyone did this
to one of your people, would you accept it?"

AP
president proposes media lobby to fight government secrecy
Denouncing increased official secrecy, Associated Press President and
CEO Tom Curley unveiled a plan Friday for a media advocacy center to
lobby in Washington for open government. "The powerful have to be watched,
and we are the watchers," Curley said, "and you don't need to have your
notebook snatched by a policeman to know that keeping an eye on government
activities has lately gotten a lot harder." At
every level of government, records are being sealed and requests for
information denied, and courts are imposing gag orders and sealing documents,
Curley said, speaking in the Hays Press-Enterprise Lecture series. [Text
of Tom Curley's May 7, 2004 speech.]

Poodle
on board with Bush terror team's next move:Report:
Mayor's jets will be missile-smart Bush's 9-11 Poodle, Mayor
Michael Bloomberg, will have nearly $5 million
worth of anti-missile equipment installed on two private jets he uses
for international trips, according to a broadcast report.

Australia,
US sign air marshal agreement
The governments of Australia and the United States have signed an agreement
to provide armed federal marshals on board random Qantas and United
Airlines flights between the two nations.

Super-rich
gunning for Bush
When George W Bush decided to gift the rich of America a tax break it
probably never crossed his mind he would be stoking the fires of a vociferous
campaign by some of the wealthiest businessmen in the land to remove
him from the White House.

Summer
heat will cause deadly ozone
Thousands of Britons may be forced to wear charcoal masks and stay indoors
this summer to avoid deadly fogs of ozone that will pollute the country
during heatwaves, scientists have warned.

Fashion's
finest protest against tyranny of cool
This week, those most deeply enslaved to the dictates of cool meet to
protest outside Vogue headquarters. Bay Garnett, contributing editor
to Vogue and editor of Cheap Date, agrees that picketing outside her
own office block in London's West End could be construed as contradictory
but believes the message is important enough to risk her intellectual
street cred. 'We're against big business brainwashing, built-in obsolescence,
heroin chic and anorexia chic, creating physical discomfort by the wearing
of uncomfortable clothes and the exploitation of child workers in Asia
and elsewhere,' she said.

Saddam
deserves 'ultimate penalty': Bush --"He [Saddam Hussein] is a torturer,
a murderer, and they had rape rooms, and this is a disgusting tyrant
who deserves justice, the ultimate justice," Dictator George W.
Bush, December 16, 2003, excerpts of interview released by ABC television.

International
Outrage Over Dictator Bush's Rape Rooms and Torture Chambers: Bush
In Panic Bid to Curb Torture Scandal Dictator Bush went on Arab
TV yesterday in a desperate attempt to quell the growing scandal over
abuse of Iraqi prisoners. But as he condemned it as "abhorrent" and
not a reflection of "the America I know", more disturbing details were
emerging of savagery at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad.
A captive is said to have been battered to death and then wrapped in
ice and Cellophane in an apparent bid to disguise the brutality.

U.S.
ignored torture allegations
U.S. officials in Baghdad and Washington ignored human rights monitors'
repeated pleas for official investigations
of American abuse, torture and killings of Iraqi prisoners over the
past year, international and Iraqi human rights officials said Friday.
And human rights groups rejected Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's
assertion that such abuses are "an exception," saying they are widespread
in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the U.S. war on 'terror.'

UK
forces taught torture methods
The sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison was not
an invention of maverick guards, but part of a system
of ill-treatment and degradation used by special forces soldiers that
is now being disseminated among ordinary troops and contractors who
do not know what they are doing, according to British military
sources. The techniques devised in the system, called R2I - resistance
to interrogation - match the crude exploitation and abuse of prisoners
at the Abu Ghraib jail in Baghdad.

*****

Pentagon
Refused Lawyer As Prison Adviser
Pentagon officials rejected an Army plan last year to send an experienced
military lawyer — who is also a Republican member of Congress — to help
oversee the unit blamed for prisoner abuse at the Abu Ghraib complex
outside Baghdad. That left the prison complex, which holds up to 7,000
Iraqis, without an onsite lawyer to guide interrogations and treatment
of prisoners.

World
calls for Rumsfeld's resignation over abuseOutrage
over Iraq prison photos increase pressure, condemnation of U.S. actions.
--The image of a U.S. soldier holding a leash attached to a naked Iraqi
prisoner brought more condemnation of the United States on Friday, and
some calls for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
The picture of the soldier, Spc. Lynndie England, appeared on several
front pages in Britain. "No sadistic movie could outdo the damage
of this image," reporter Robert Fisk wrote in The Independent newspaper.

Rumsfeld
Says Won't Quit Over Iraqi Prisoner Abuse
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, facing demands from some Democrats
he quit over his handling of the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, said
on Friday he would not resign "simply because people try to make a political
issue [?!?] out of it." [NO, it's about the US violating the
laws of the Geneva Convention, whackjob.]

Protesters
Interrupt Rumsfeld's Opening Statement
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Friday extended "my deepest
apologies" to Iraqi prisoners abused by U.S. military personnel and
told Congress he accepts full responsibility for the shocking events.
Rumsfeld had scarcely uttered his opening apology when protesters
interrupted him. "Fire Rumsfeld,"
some yelled before they were hustled from the room. Rumsfeld sat calmly
in his seat while the room was quieted.

Rumsfeld
apologizes to abused IraqisDefense
secretary warns that worse photos, videos are yet to come Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld extended his "deepest apology" Friday
to Iraqi prisoners abused by U.S. military personnel, telling Congress
that he accepted full responsibility for the shocking events. But he
warned that worse was yet to come.

John
Kerry Dismisses Rumsfeld's Apology
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Friday dismissed Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's apology for U.S. abuses of Iraqi prisoners
and said the responsibility lies with the commander in thief
['chief.']

General
Told MPs to 'soften Up' Prisoners
An American general recommended that Army prison guards in Iraq become
more involved in "softening up" prisoners for interrogations
shortly before abuses occurred at the Abu Ghraib prison last fall, according
to an internal report at the heart of the controversy.

They
Did It for JessicaSmeared
With Shit; Kicked to Death --by Jeffrey St. Clair "The
stories of official torture and murder by US troops in Iraq continue
to dribble out. Many of the worst incidents are old news, ignored for
months by a somnambulant press corps. The most sadistic case to come
across our desk involves two US Marines now undergoing court-martial
proceedings stemming from the death of an Iraqi citizen called Mr. Hatab.
The killing took place last year at Camp Whitehorse outside Nasyriya."

Third
Brit Soldier Tells Us: I Saw PoW Beatings Three rogue soldiers
got away with spearheading a sickening campaign of abuse against Iraqi
PoWs, a British trooper claimed yesterday. Soldier C told the Mirror
that suspects had "10 kids of crap" beaten out of them and said
officers only stepped in when the appalling beatings got too heavy.

'US
soldiers abused young girl at Iraqi prison'
The US military has said it will investigate claims by a former inmate
of Abu Ghraib prison that a girl as young as
12 was stripped and beaten by military personnel. Suhaib
al-Baz, a journalist for the al-Jazeera television network, claims
to have been tortured at the prison, based west of Baghdad, while
held there for 54 days.

Two
children among abused prisoners: report
A British television station reported today that a young Iraqi girl
held at Abu Ghraib prison was stripped naked and beaten while her brother
heard her scream from another cell. The ITV News report quoted Suhaib
al-Baz, 24, a cameraman for the Arab satellite TV network Al-Jazeera,
as saying he saw the abuse while he was being held at the prison. Soldiers
took "torture shots" with their personal cameras, he said.

Female
Soldier Charged in Iraqi Abuse
Case Army Reserve Pfc. Lynndie England, shown in photographs smiling
and pointing at naked Iraqi prisoners, was charged Friday by the military
with assaulting the detainees and conspiring to mistreat them. England,
21, faces four allegations, according to a statement from the XVIII
Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg.

Ex-detainees
in Afghanistan also allege mistreatment
Some say they were beaten, including an elderly man whose hand was broken.
Others allege they were stripped naked, doused with water and left to
suffer in freezing cells. Many say they were deprived of sleep and forced
to stand or kneel in awkward positions for long periods of time.

Mistreatment
of Prisoners Is Called Routine in U.S.
Physical and sexual abuse of prisoners, similar to what has been uncovered
in Iraq, takes place in American prisons with little public knowledge
or concern, according to corrections officials, inmates and human rights
advocates.

U.K.
Troops, Cleric Gunmen Clash in Basra
Resistance fighters loyal to a radical Shiite cleric attacked British
troops in the southern city of Basra on Saturday, a day after the cleric's
top aide in the city offered a reward for the capture or killing
of occupation soldiers.

Arrest
in Bombing Inquiry Was Rushed, Officials Say
The authorities arrested a Portland lawyer in connection with the Madrid
railway bombings before they had a clear idea about the strength of
their case and they cut short a planned covert surveillance of him because
of concerns that information was leaking out to the news media, law
enforcement officials said Friday.

Did
airport police alert response jeopardize passengers?The FBI and Police Department
said a decision by Los Angeles International Airport police to storm
a Singapore Airlines jetliner after it transmitted a hijack alert may
have violated protocol and jeopardized the safety of passengers.

Former
FBI Translator Sibel Edmonds Calls Current 9/11 Investigation Inadequate
-- interview by Jim Hogue "....JH: Let me read you a short
quote from Dr. Griffin's book, quoting from War and Globalization:
The Truth Behind September 11 by Michel Chossudovsky and ask you
to comment on it. '...The transfer of money to Atta [$325,000], in conjunction
with the presence of the ISI chief in Washington during the week, [is]
the missing link behind 9/11....The evidence confirms that al-Qaeda
is supported by Pakistan's ISI (and it is amply documented that) the
ISI owes its existence to the CIA.' SE: I cannot comment
on that. But I can tell that once, and if, and when this issue gets
to be, under real terms, investigated, you will be seeing certain
people that we know from this country standing trial; and they will
be prosecuted criminally."

Kerry's
Wife [Accurately] Calls Cheney 'Unpatriotic'
Dictator Bush's campaign on Friday criticized the wife of Democratic
candidate John Kerry for calling Vice pResident
Dick Cheney "unpatriotic" while defending her husband's service in Vietnam
against critics who had avoided the military. In an interview with Telemundo,
Teresa Heinz Kerry said, "To have a couple of people, who escaped
four, five, six times and deferred and deferred and deferred calling
him anything regarding his service is in and of itself unpatriotic.
Unpatriotic." [Well-said!]

Oil
Prices Hit $40, First Time Since 1990
Oil prices hit $40 a barrel on Friday on concerns over security in the
Middle East and US corporate greed ['tight U.S. gasoline supplies,']
underlining concerns that world economic growth may be reined in by
rising energy costs.

*****

Lawmakers
to Insist on Oversight of Halliburton ['Iraq'] Money
Senior lawmakers in both parties, frustrated by several years of Pentagon
secrecy about wartime spending, indicated yesterday that they will not
give the Bush dictatorship a free hand in the use of a new $25
billion 'installment' for Halliburton ['the war in Iraq.']

Bush
May Seek More Than $50 Billion for Halliburton ['Iraq, Afghanistan']
for Next Year Dictator Bush may seek more money for Halliburton
['wars in Iraq and Afghanistan'] next year than the $50
billion figure
his budget director cited months ago, White House officials say. "I'll
be very surprised if we don't find ourselves at least" needing $75
billion next year, Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., chairman of
the House subcommittee that controls the Pentagon's budget, said Thursday.[Is Dictator Bush
planning to steal the election, again? Else, why is he discussing *next
year's* allocations?]

US
troops take key Najaf building
US tanks have surged into the Iraqi holy city of Najaf to take control
of the governor's office amid fierce fighting with Shia gunmen.

Visiting
a changed Fallujah New graves, damaged mosques, rage at U.S.
After nearly a month of intense fighting, the Fallujah Sports Club's
dusty basketball court has become the starkest testimony to the ferocity
of the city's opposition. Stretching from one broken basketball hoop
to the other are neat rows of shallow graves, which hold hundreds of
residents killed in the street battles that have raged outside.
The headstones identify martyrs of two types -- resistance fighters
and civilians picked off by U.S. snipers as they fled the city.

Delta
Force, Navy SEALs involved in abuse?
Iraqi died while being interrogated at prison As the investigation expands,
officials tell NBC News that special operations forces, including both
Delta Force and Navy SEALs, were possibly also involved in abusing prisoners
in Iraq. In fact, one prisoner, Mon Adel al Jamadi, died while being
interrogated in Abu Ghraib by a CIA officer last November, shortly
after being captured by Navy SEALs.

'Cooks
and drivers were working as interrogators'Private
contractor lifts the lid on systematic failures at Abu Ghraib jail
--Many of the prisoners abused at the Abu Ghraib prison were innocent
Iraqis, picked up at random by US troops and incarcerated by underqualified
intelligence officers, a former US interrogator from the jail told the
Guardian.

Soldiers
Back in U.S. Tell of More Iraqi Abuses
Three U.S. military policemen who served at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison
said on Thursday they had witnessed unreported cases of prisoner abuse
and that the practice against Iraqis was commonplace. Torin Nelson,
who served as a military intelligence officer at Guantánamo Bay before
moving to Abu Ghraib as a private contractor last year, blamed the abuses
on a failure of command in US military intelligence and an over-reliance
on private firms. He alleged those companies were so anxious to meet
the demand for their services, they sent "cooks and truck drivers" to
work as interrogators.

Iraqi
inmate: 'Treated like dogs'
One of the Iraqi men who says he was photographed in degrading poses
by American prison guards in Abu Ghraib jail is unemployed father-of-five
Haydar Sabbar Abed. He told his story to the BBC Arabic Service.

Photo
Gallery: Iraq prisoner abuse
The reverberations have been felt all the way up to the top of the Bush
dictatorship. These images represent a harrowing look at the conditions
inside a Baghdad prison, where prisoners, it would appear, suffered
ritual abuse and humiliation. WARNING: These images, though blurred,
are graphic and disturbing.

Red
Cross repeatedly warned about jail
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it had repeatedly
urged the United States to take "corrective action" at a Baghdad
jail at the centre of a scandal over abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

Cong.
Rangel Calls On Congress to Impeach Rumsfeld
(Press Release) "Korean War Combat Veteran says withholding information
from the President [sic], Congress, and the public, about the abuse
of Iraqi prisoners is a 'high crime and misdemeanor' ...Cong. Charles
Rangel (D-N.Y.), a member of Congress since 1971 and a Korean war combat
veteran, today called for the impeachment of Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld unless he resigns or President [sic] Bush removes him
from office. He announced he was drafting
articles of impeachment and made the following remarks on
the House floor during the debate on a House resolution concerning the
torture of Iraqi prisoners..."

Democrat
Calls for Rumsfeld to Resign
A Democratic senator became the first in Congress to demand Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation over the U.S. military's abuse
of Iraqi prisoners, but the White House reaffirmed Dictator Bush's support
of the embattled Cabinet officer.

Bush
Wants Rumsfeld to Stay as Pentagon Chief
Dictator Bush wants Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to stay in his
job [as the world's most dangerous terrorist], the White House said
on Thursday, even as the top Democrat in the House of Representatives
called for Rumsfeld to resign over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

Bush
Apologizes for Iraqi Prison Abuse
Dictator Bush told Jordan's King Abdullah on Thursday he was sorry for
the humiliation suffered by Iraqi prisoners who have been abused by
their American jailers.

Labourers
claim U.S. held them captive on baseStory comes hard on
heels of revelations of prisoner abuse --Four Indians who claimed
to have escaped from a U.S. army camp in Iraq have returned to southern
India, telling harrowing tales of their nine-month stay. The U.S. Embassy
said it was investigating reports that the men were held against their
will.

Abuse
Common in U.S. Prisons, Activists Say
Horrific abuses, some similar to those revealed in Iraq, regularly
occur in U.S. prisons with little national attention or public outrage,
human rights activists said on Thursday.

Powell
wasn't told of $25 billion Iraq request
Shortly before Bush dictatorship officials presented Republican congressional
leaders with a request for $25 billion
in Halliburton ['Iraq'] funding this week, Secretary of State Colin
Powell was telling members of the Congressional Black Caucus that no
such request would be forthcoming.

US
Senate confirms Negroponte as ambassador to Iraq The US Senate,
by a vote of 95 to three, confirmed [human rights abuser and Reichwing
terrorist] John Negroponte, the US envoy to the United Nations,
as the country's first ambassador to post-war Iraq. Three lawmakers
-- all Democrats -- voted against Negroponte: Senators Tom Harkin of
Iowa, Mark Dayton of Minnesota and Richard Durbin of Illinois.

Moore
admits Disney 'ban' was a stunt
Less than 24 hours after accusing the Walt Disney Company of pulling
the plug on his latest documentary in a blatant attempt at political
censorship, the rabble-rousing film-maker Michael Moore has admitted
he knew a year ago that Disney had no intention of distributing it.

Bin
Laden Said to Offer Gold for Killings
An audio recording attributed to [al-CIA-duh?]
Osama bin Laden offered rewards in gold Thursday for the killing of
top U.S. and U.N. officials in Iraq or of the citizens of any nation
fighting there.

Mega
barf alert!An
American Connection? Law-enforcement officials detain an Oregon
man they say may be linked to Europe’s 9/11 --FBI agents today detained
a Portland, Ore., lawyer after receiving evidence from Spanish authorities
that the man’s fingerprints allegedly were found on bomb-related evidence
associated with the March 11 railway attack in Madrid that killed 191
people and wounded 2,000 people, NEWSWEEK has learned.

American
Reported Linked to Madrid Bombing-NewsweekA
Muslim lawyer from Portland, Oregon, was detained
by the FBI on Thursday without explanation, his family said,
but Newsweek
magazine said he was being held in connection with the Madrid train
bombings that killed 191 people in March. Newsweek said Mayfield was
being held as a "material witness" in a grand jury investigation and
that allowed the inJustice Department to hold
him in secret without formally filing charges against him.
Agents raided Brandon Mayfield's home, taking computer equipment and
his wife's credit cards, leaving her with just a driver's license, Kent
Mayfield said, adding that the couple had three children. "I think
the reason they are holding him is because he is of the Muslim faith
and because he is not super happy with the Bush administration. So if
that's a crime, well you can burn half of us," Kent Mayfield said.

Cartoonist
receives death threats, 6,000 e-mails
Cartoonist Ted Rall says he has received numerous death threats over
a cartoon he did this week that satirized the media's response to the
death of Pat Tillman, the former pro-football player killed in Afghanistan.

Bush
Outpaces Kerry in Lobbyist Money
Dictator Bush has collected far more money from Washington lobbyists
than Democratic rival John Kerry — roughly $1.1 million to the challenger's
$305,000, according to a nonpartisan group's study.

Americans
express worry, Bush support drops in poll
Americans are more dissatisfied with the nation's direction than at
any time in more than eight years and Dictator
Bush's job approval rating has sunk into a tie for his worst-ever showing,
according to a new Gallup Poll. [The last time Bush's poll numbers
were in the gutter, we had the September 11th terrorist attacks. US
citizens need to be fearful of the steps the Bush-Rove terror team may
take in order to insure Bush's re-s-election.]

E-'Vote'
Problems Overwhelm Feds
As alarm mounts over the integrity of the ATM-like 'voting' machines
50 million Americans will use in the November s-election,
a new federal agency has begun scrutinizing how to safeguard electronic
polling from fraud, hackers and faulty software. But the tiny U.S. Election
Assistance Commission says it is so woefully underfunded that it can't
be expected to forestall widespread voting-machine problems, which would
cast doubt on the election's integrity.
"We've found some deeply troubling concerns, and the country wants to
know the solution," said DeForest B. Soaries Jr., a Republican and
former New Jersey secretary of state named by
Dictator Bush in December to lead the agency.

Florida
orders 40,000 voters purged for 2004 S-electionState wants 'felons' purged from voter list --Florida elections
officials have ordered local supervisors to begin purging their voter
rolls of 'felons' - an election-year directive
that would remove up to 40,000 people, many of them likely black Democrats.
[We will NOT ACCEPT a *second* coup d'etat in November...]

Oil
Nears $40 on US Corporate Greed
['Gasoline, Security Fears']
World oil prices set fresh 13-year highs on Thursday, edging toward
$40 a barrel for U.S. crude, stoked by worries about [US corporate-created]
summer gasoline shortages in the United States.

Bush,
Wife to Skip Daughters' Graduations
Dictator Bush and first lady Laura Bush will skip their twin daughters'
college graduations later this month because they are among they world's
worst parents ['to avoid creating a distraction at the respective schools'],
the White House said Thursday.

*****

What?!?
The $87 billion is already gone having done a Halliburton-Bechtel disappearing
act !?!Bush
Asks Congress for $25B Down Payment for Halliburton ['Iraq War']
The Bush dictatorship asked Congress Wednesday for a $25
billion down payment for Halliburton ['next year's U.S. operations
in Iraq and Afghanistan'], a retreat from the White House's earlier
plans not to seek the money until after the November s-elections.

Baghdad
car bomb blast kills U.S. soldierFive
Iraqis also die in blast near U.S. compound --A suicide car bomb
exploded Thursday at a checkpoint to the zone that houses U.S administrative
offices in central Baghdad, killing five Iraqi civilians and one U.S.
soldier and injuring 25 people, the U.S. military said.

U.S.
abuse undermines treaties
Prisoners: Images of Iraqis tortured and humiliated at the hands of
Americans deflate the United States' standing as a leader of world reform.
As images of American soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners spread to television
sets around the globe, human rights organizations are increasingly concerned
that a century of building steady support for international treaties
banning torture could be irreparably damaged.

U.S.
Troops Said to Mistreat Elder Iraqi
U.S. soldiers who detained an elderly Iraqi woman last year placed a
harness on her, made her crawl on all fours and rode her like a donkey,
Prime Minister Tony Blair's personal human rights envoy to Iraq said
Wednesday. The envoy, legislator Ann Clwyd, said she had investigated
the claims of the woman in her 70s and believed they were true. [And
the sycophants at moveon.org repudiated their ads comparing Bush to
Hitler. Why?]

New
Prison Images EmergeGraphic
Photos May Be More Evidence of Abuse --The collection of photographs
begins like a travelogue from Iraq... And then:a
soldier holding a leash tied around a man's neck in an Iraqi prison.
He is naked, grimacing and lying on the floor. Mixed in with more
than 1,000 digital pictures obtained
by The Washington Post are photographs of naked men, apparently prisoners,
sprawled on top of one another while soldiers stand around them...

25
Prisoners Died While Held by U.S. Forces
Twenty-five prisoners have died while being held by U.S. forces in Iraq
and Afghanistan and two of them were murdered in Iraq by Americans,
U.S. Army officials said on Tuesday.

Iraqi
prisoner scandal grows
The full extent of the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners began to emerge
last night when the United States announced it had launched investigations
into the deaths of 23 detainees and the murder of two others.

Torture
Report May Have Broken Classification Rules
(FAS Project on Government Secrecy) "By classifying an explosive
report on the torture of Iraqi prisoners as 'Secret,' the Pentagon may
have violated official secrecy policies, which prohibit the use of
classification to conceal illegal activities. The report, authored
by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, found that 'between October and December
2003, at the Abu Ghraib Confinement Facility, numerous incidents of
sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses were inflicted on several
detainees.' 'The allegations of abuse were substantiated by detailed
witness statements and the discovery of extremely graphic photographic
evidence,' Gen. Taguba wrote. These specific observations, and the report
as a whole, were classified 'Secret / No Foreign Dissemination.' Why
the secrecy?"

Torture
pictures are no hoax, Mirror insists
Yesterday, as scepticism in military circles grew about the veracity
of pictures showing British soldiers torturing an Iraqi, Mirror employees
remained privately confident that their editor, Piers Morgan, had not
fallen for a sophisticated hoax.

Howard:
Mirror has caused 'enormous damage'
Conservative leader [Reichwing whackjob] Michael Howard today waded
into the row over the Daily Mirror's allegations of torture by British
soldiers, saying they had done "enormous damage" and warning that editor
Piers Morgan would have to "take full responsibility" if they turn out
to be false.

Pleading
prisoners and families outside protest at the horrors of Abu Ghraib
jail
The American soldiers standing guard outside Abu Ghraib prison could
have been under no illusions yesterday as to what Iraqis thought of
them... Yesterday, hundreds of demonstrators turned up. They included
clerics in impressive white turbans, students, engineers taking the
day off, children in flip flops - all of them outraged by the torture
of Iraqi prisoners next door.

Guardsman
Probed for Iraq Naked Soldier Photos
The head of a U.S. military police unit at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison
is under investigation following charges he secretly photographed
naked female American soldiers, officials said on Wednesday.

Bush
does not think Rumsfeld should resign: White House
US Dictator George W. Bush "absolutely" still has faith in Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld and does not believe he should resign, White House spokesman
Scott McClellan said. [Whether Rumsfeld decides to resign or not,
he needs to be tried for treason, along with the other 'lead' terrorists
in the Bush dictatorship.]

Bush
Privately Chides Rumsfeld Officials SayPentagon
Resisted Repeated Calls for Prison Changes Dictator Bush privately
[If it was 'private,' how do *we* know about it?] admonished Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld yesterday, a senior White House official
said, as other U.S. officials blamed the Pentagon for failing to act
on repeated recommendations to improve conditions for thousands of Iraqi
detainees and release those not charged with crimes.

The
war of the words
--by Terry Jones "You can call people who are defending their
own homes from rockets and missiles launched from helicopters and tanks
'fanatics and terrorists' only for so long. Eventually even newspaper
readers will smell a rat. Similarly it's fiendishly difficult to get
people to accept the label 'rebels' for those Iraqis killed by American
snipers when - as in Falluja - they turn out to be pregnant women, 13-year-old
boys and old men standing by their front gates. It also sounds a bit
lame to call ambulance drivers 'fighters' - when they've been shot through
the windscreen in the act of driving the wounded to hospital - and yet
what other word can you use without making them sound like illegitimate
targets? I hope you're beginning to see the problem. The key thing, I suppose, is to try to call US mercenaries 'civilians'
or 'civilian contractors', while calling Iraqi civilians 'fighters'
or 'insurgents'." [A must read]

Test
Program Screens Rail Passengers for Bombs
The government launched a pilot program on Tuesday to screen U.S. rail
passengers and their bags for bombs, but expectations are measured as
planners assess whether the approach is practical.

Bush,
GOP set fund-raising recordRepublicans
rake in $38.5 million in one night --Dictator Bush helped the GOP
raise at least $38.5 million Wednesday
at its annual gala — all of it in donations limited in size — and smash
a one-night record set when political parties could still rake in large
corporate contributions.

Scientists:
E-'Voting' Needs Paper Backups
Scientists told a federal panel Wednesday that electronic 'voting' isn't
completely reliable and suggested a backup paper system might be the
only way to avoid another coup d'etat
['disputed presidential election'] in November.Citizens
For Legitimate Government Launches B.Y.O.B., Bring
Your Own (paper) Ballot, Campaign for "Election" 2004

Paper
Receipts Opposed for Voting Machines
Retrofitting electronic voting machines with paper receipts in time
for this year's presidential s-election
would cause chaos far worse than the security concerns it is intended
to address, election officials told the federal 'Election Assistance'
Commission yesterday... Commissioners expressed concerns about the power
of vendors that create the equipment, pay for certification testing
and have technicians play key roles in local election offices. Chairman
DeForest "Buster" Soaries Jr. noted that Diebold
Election Systems chief executive Walden O'Dell had pledged in a Republican
fundraising letter last year that he was "committed" to delivering Ohio's
electoral votes to Dictator Bush.

California
nixes e-'voting'
(May 3, 2004) California's secretary of state has decertified all touch
screen 'voting' systems in the state, and has asked the attorney's general
office to consider criminal prosecution of
Diebold Inc.'s Diebold Election Systems division.

Nuclear
waste changes soughtNew
proposal would allow Energy Dept. to skip cleanup
of the most lethal material at Hanford and other sites --A South
Carolina senator, working in concert with senior Energy Department officials,
has quietly proposed changing federal law
to allow lethal waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and other nuclear
weapons plants to remain in underground tanks rather than being removed
and sent to a more secure disposal site. The proposal from Sen. Lindsay
Graham, R-Nazi-S.C., is included
in the defense authorization bill. It was heavily shaped -- if not written
-- by the Energy Department.

Gasoline
Hits Another High at Pumps
The price of gasoline keeps going up, and U.S. car drivers will be digging
even deeper into their pockets at the pumps in the coming weeks.

Washington
weighs terror's impact on presidential voteA
warning to the American people --by Joseph Kay "According
to [New York Times regular correspondent David] Sanger, ...the
Bush administration is making its own calculations over whether a terrorist
attack can 'change elections' in the US—in Bush’s favor... This concern
suggests the obvious possibility that the administration could allow
or facilitate an attack during a brief window of opportunity—immediately
preceding the election—in order to stampede the American people
behind Bush... If such an attack could not be used confidently to
manipulate the results of the elections, it could be used as a justification
for abrogating the elections altogether."

Kerry
gathers doomsday team
Sen. John Kerry’s (D-Mass.) presidential campaign is preparing for a
so-called "October surprise," including Osama bin Laden’s
capture and a terrorist attack in the United States, The Hill has learned.

U.S.
to Keep 138,000 Troops in Iraq Through 2005
The United States, faced with growing military casualties in Iraq, announced
on Tuesday that it was scrapping a plan to reduce its forces and would
keep about 138,000 troops in that country through at least the end
of 2005.

U.S.
Reveals Iraqi Prisoner Deaths as Scandal GrowsTwo Iraqi prisoners were murdered by Americans
and 23 other deaths are being investigated in Iraq and Afghanistan,
the United States revealed on Tuesday as the Bush [Nazi]
regime tried to contain growing outrage over the abuse of Iraqi detainees.

U.S.
Probe: Two War Prisoners Murdered by Americans
The U.S. military has investigated the deaths of 25 prisoners
held by American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and determined that
two prisoners were murdered by Americans,
one an Army soldier and the other a CIA contractor,
Army officials said on Tuesday.

U.S.
Army report on Iraqi prisoner abuseComplete
text of Article 15-6 Investigation of the 800th Military Police Brigade
by Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba (NBC News) "The report was prepared
by Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba on alleged abuse of prisoners by members
of the 800th Military Police Brigade at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Baghdad.
It was ordered by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of Joint Task
Force-7, the senior U.S. military official in Iraq, following persistent
allegations of human rights abuses at the prison."

Iraqi
prisoners released at gravel pit after long, hot ride
Scores of prisoners released from Abu Ghraib prison Tuesday were forced
to take a nearly five-hour trip through central Iraq on three hot, rickety
buses escorted by U.S. military Humvees before being deposited without
explanation at a gravel quarry near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.

Abu
Ghraib prison population to be cut in half
The new commander of U.S.-run prisons in Iraq said today he would cut
in half the number of Iraqis in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison and
quash some interrogation techniques considered humiliating, such as
hooding prisoners.

Iraqi
official resigns to protest detainee abuse
Iraq's U.S.-appointed human rights minister said today he had resigned
to protest abuses of Iraqi detainees by American guards, and the interior
minister demanded that Iraqi officials be allowed to participate in
the running of prisons.

Rumsfeld
condemns prisoner abuse; 20 probes under way
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Tuesday condemned the abuse
of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers and said the Defense Department
would move vigorously to bring those responsible to justice. The Army
said 20 investigations into prisoner deaths and assaults were under
way in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Girl
raped by a soldier
Two soldiers were arrested after being accused of rape by a girl of
13 and her 16-year-old friend, it was revealed yesterday. The Royal
Artillery squaddies — aged 19 and 21 — are alleged to have assaulted
the teenagers at their barracks.

Militiamen
shell U.S. base in Najaf4
American soldiers die when vehicle overturns near Baghdad --Militiamen
launched a barrage of mortar shells against a U.S. base in this holy
city and government buildings guarded by Bulgarian forces in Karbala
today, a day after intense clashes in Najaf that killed up to 20 Iraqis.

4
American soldiers killed in Iraq during patrol
Shiite militiamen fired several mortar shells at a U.S. base in Najaf
early Tuesday and at a city hall guarded by Bulgarian troops in another
Shiite city. Elsewhere, four U.S. soldiers died after their Humvee overturned
during a combat patrol, the U.S. Army said.

Former
diplomats attack Bush
Fifty-three former United States diplomats on Tuesday accuse the White
House of sacrificing US's credibility in the Arab world -- and the safety
of its diplomats and soldiers -- because of the Bush regime's support
for the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. The strongly worded rebuke,
which paid tribute to last week's broadside from more than 50 former
British diplomats against the government's policy in Iraq, marked a
rare public display of dissent for state department personnel.

Face
the Iraq Fiasco, SenatorFormer
war hero and protester John Kerry has to stop angling for position and
confront Bush directly on the war. --by Robert Scheer "In the
end, if Kerry is not to become the next Al Gore — triangulating safe
positions just this side of a Republican who is probably the most irresponsible
American politician in a century — he must challenge President [sic]
Bush's entire vision, not just his tactics. What Bush is doing in
the name of fighting terrorism has nothing to do with making us safer
and everything to do with dressing up the grim goals of empire as a
grand (and all-too-familiar) experiment in bringing enlightenment to
so-called backward people at gunpoint. To have a real choice in this
election, we need to hear the voice of that young Navy hero who once
warned us that murderous meddling in other countries' affairs will never
win the hearts and minds of the people."

Bombs
explode in Athens
Three time bombs exploded early Wednesday morning in central Athens.
A police station in the city centre was the apparent target.

Worm
crashes Coastguard computers
(UK) Computers at the Coastguard Agency were among millions of PCs hit
yesterday by a new worm that spreads over the internet. The Sasser worm,
which exploits a flaw in Microsoft's Windows software, disrupted work
at the Marine and Coastguard Agency, forcing staff to use pencil
and paper to find ships and locate distress calls on maps.

Military
Defenders for Detainees Put Tribunals on Trial
The Bush regime's plan to use military tribunals to try some of the
detainees held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, which has faced considerable
skepticism, has been receiving some of its sharpest attacks from the
military defense lawyers who are participating in the process.

Lest
anyone question whether or not we are actually living under a full-blown
dictatorship:Disney
Forbidding Distribution of Film That Criticizes Bush The Walt
Disney Company is blocking its Miramax division from distributing a
new documentary by Michael Moore that harshly criticizes Dictator Bush,
executives at both Disney and Miramax said Tuesday. Mr. Moore's agent,
Ari Emanuel, said that Michael D. Eisner, Disney's chief executive,
asked him last spring to pull out of the deal with Miramax. Mr. Emanuel
said Mr. Eisner expressed particular concern that it would anger Gov.
Jeb Bush of Florida and endanger tax breaks Disney receives for its
theme park, hotels and other ventures there.

Rall's
'Tillman' Cartoon Pulled by MSNBC.com
A cartoon questioning late footballer-turned-soldier Pat Tillman's credentials
as a "hero" was pulled from MSNBC.com this afternoon. Rall said in the
cartoon that Tillman -- who gave up a $3.6-million National Football
League contract to join the military and then died last month -- "falsely
believed Bush's wars against Iraq and Afghanistan had something to do
with 9/11. Actually, he was a cog in a low-rent occupation Army that
shot more innocent civilians than terrorists to
prop up puppet rulers and exploit gas and oil resources."

GOP
Convention Security Perimeter Drawn
Midtown Manhattan around the site of the Republican National Convention
could be locked down for blocks, with major avenues closed and
nearby residents and workers required to show
identification, officials said Tuesday as they outlined tentative
security plans for the four-day event.

Mega
bulimia alert!Bush
begins bus tour At least one person who said he waited patiently
in line came away empty handed. Bill Ward, of Dubuque, said he arrived
at about 7:30 a.m., and waited an hour. When it came time to show his
identification, Ward said he was asked if he supported Bush in 2000.
"I said I didn't vote for him then and I won't vote for him now,"
Ward said. Saying he is a World War II veteran who served in Germany
and France, Ward is strongly critical of the war in Iraq. 'The only
thing I wanted to do was get down to the riverfront and ask Bush some
questions," he said. Ward's lack of support for the dictator apparently
was his undoing.

Bush's
'Yes, America Can' bus was made in Canada
It turns out the "Yes, America Can" bus was made in Canada, by Quebec-based
Prevost Car. On Monday night, Bush took the bus into suburban Detroit,
where foreign-made vehicles have been anathema... "Seeing the president
[sic] drive around in this Canadian-made luxury bus is just another
reminder of George Bush's failed economic policies," Kerry spokesman
Phil Singer said.

Senate
Blocks New Rules on Pay for Overtime Work
The Senate handed the Bush dictatorship a significant defeat Tuesday
by voting to block new rules on overtime that opponents say would cause
millions of workers to lose their eligibility for the extra pay... "This
is a blatant and flagrant effort of the administration in order to increase
the bottom line for corporate America and to shortchange working families,"
said Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts.

Gore
to Launch Youth Cable TV Network
President Al Gore plans to build a youth-oriented cable television network
he hopes will become an independent voice in a media industry dominated
by large conglomerates, he said on Tuesday.

Editor-in-chief
of U.S.-funded Iraqi newspaper quits, complaining of American control
The head of a U.S.-funded Iraqi newspaper quit and said Monday he was
taking almost his entire staff with him because of American interference
in the publication. On a front-page editorial of the Al-Sabah newspaper,
editor-in-chief Ismail Zayer said he and his staff were ''celebrating
the end of a nightmare we have suffered from for months ... We
want independence. They (the Americans) refuse.''

U.S.
Sent Specialists to Train Prison Units
Presented with reports of abusive behavior by U.S. military guards at
Baghdad's main prison, the Army two months ago quietly dispatched
to Iraq a team of about 25 military police experienced in running
detention facilities to shore up training and supervision, Army officials
said yesterday. The move followed an internal Army investigation that
found military police at the Abu Ghraib prison largely unprepared for
their role as guards and accused them of grossly mistreating Iraqi detainees,
the officials said.

U.S.
Specialists Sent to Iraq to Train Guards -Report
In a response to reports of abuse of Iraqi detainees by U.S. soldiers
at a prison outside Baghdad, the U.S. Army two months ago sent specialists
to Iraq to train inexperienced prison units, The Washington Post reported
on Tuesday.

Troops
Behaviour 'Out Of Control'Iraqi's
arm broken with baton
--Soldiers swap 'abuse' photos -- Squaddies regularly swapped
photos of degrading treatment of Iraqi prisoners, it was claimed yesterday.
One of the two soldiers who revealed the brutal treatment of a suspect
told the Mirror: "If the Army would admit it they know of the existence
of other pictures of other incidents. "Everyone out there is carrying
a digital camera. In some cases they are even Ministry of Defence issue...
The other man said: "Maybe the officers don't know what is going on
but everybody else does. I've seen hundreds of pictures." And Soldier
B added that the behaviour of a number of British troops had been "out
of control".

This
Is Not A Hoax. I Saw It, I Was ThereProof
That Abuse Pics Were Real
--The two soldiers who disclosed shocking photos of British troops abusing
an Iraqi last night rejected claims the shots were fakes. They insisted
pictures they gave the Mirror showing a hooded prisoner being urinated
on and battered with rifle butts were real. [Soldiers A and B, from
the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, respond to each charge, one by one,
critical of the veracity of the photos.]

Squaddie
Abuse Witnesses: We Told the TruthPictures
of torture ARE real, say squaddies --Shock new claims of other
attacks on Iraqis --Two soldiers who exposed British troops torturing
an Iraqi suspect insisted yesterday they told the truth. Making a point
by point rebuttal of claims that pictures of the prisoner being beaten
and urinated on were faked, the men said: "This happened. The pictures
are real. We stand by every word of our story." Soldiers A and B, from
the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, added: "The Army knows there are pictures
of other incidents." Soldier A was present at the attack.

Framed
Brit soldiers 'torture' pics fake, say experts
Pictures of Brit squaddies abusing an Iraqi PoW were faked, military
experts said yesterday. Uniform and kit worn by soldiers in the photos
does not appear to be genuine. Doubts were also raised over a rifle,
a truck — and prisoner himself. The pictures have heaped shame on the
Army. But one expert said: "I have no doubt these are staged."
A string of clues were seized on by experts. ***POSSIBLE***
source for the Daily Mirror's photographs: ["They are staged for
the porn site 'Uniform Domination' http://www.uniformdomination.com/?id=biglom"
--by AZ from Australia, Yahoo message board submission] NOTE:Even if the Daily Mirror's set of pictures is *not* authentic, other
narratives and photographs support claims of torture by US/UK occupiers.]

Regiment
Chief Says: We'll Nail All The Guilty
The Commanding Officer of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment has told his
troops: "I want answers right now." Lt Col Jorge Mendonca has
vowed to nail the guilty men and summoned his entire unit to a crisis
meeting, even though many were off duty. He told them: "This behaviour
is totally unacceptable. Those who have committed it do not deserve
to wear our distinguished cap badge for one moment longer. "We will
get to the bottom of what has happened."

NBC:
Iraqi abuse probes include other facilitiesSeven soldiers reprimanded in investigation at Baghdad installation
--U.S. officials are conducting at least six separate investigations
of alleged mistreatment of Iraqi detainees at a prison in Baghdad amid
indications that abuse of detainees, including humiliating treatment
and beatings, may have occurred at other U.S. facilities, NBC
News has learned.

7
U.S. Soldiers Receive Reprimands for Prison Abuse
Seven American soldiers have received reprimands in connection with
the investigation into abuses of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison
here, a senior American military official said today. It was the first
disciplinary action taken against American personnel in connection with
the widening prisoner-abuse scandal.

Excerpts
From Prison Inquiry'Sadistic,
Blatant and Wanton Criminal Abuses' Reported at Abu Ghraib --Excerpts
of the Army's investigative report on alleged abuses at U.S. military
prisons in Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca, Iraq. Article 15-6 Investigation
of the 800th Military Police Brigade; Secret/No Foreign Dissemination
"Several potential suspects rendered full and complete confessions
regarding their personal involvement and the involvement of fellow soldiers
in this abuse. Several potential suspects invoked their rights under
Article 31 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the 5th Amendment
of the U.S. Constitution…. Between October and December 2003, at the
Abu Ghraib Confinement Facility, numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant
and wanton criminal abuses were inflicted on several detainees. This
systemic and illegal abuse of detainees was intentionally perpetrated
by several members of the military police guard force…. The allegations
of abuse were substantiated by detailed witness statements and the discovery
of extremely graphic photographic evidence…."

'We've
had a lot of experience of US weapons'
Patrick Graham was the first journalist into Falluja after the US ended
its siege of the city on Friday. In this compelling dispatch, he reveals
the devastation and the hurt left behind "Standing at the open
slit trench, one of five in Falluja's newest cemetery, Mustafa asks:
'Would they do this in New York or California?' A sign nearby reads
'The Olympiads, Champions of Champions', the motto of Falluja's football
team. This was their stadium, rows of cinderblock seats overlooking
a dusty field. Beside one of the 50-yard trenches, sit a pair of Sunshine
high-top sneakers, heavy with rotting blood and flies... In fact, it
was the US army that never really 'got' Falluja, militarily or culturally.
For over eight months, it has been beyond their control, caught up in
a cycle of violence that began on 28 April last year, when 17 Iraqis
were killed by US soldiers during a protest."

Prisoner
abuse in Iraq scandal "despicable": Powell
US Secretary of State [and Bush's lapdog] Colin Powell said that mistreatment
of Iraqi prisoners uncovered at a prison near Baghdad was "despicable
acts" that should not be seen to reflect on all US troops.

Half-Dozen
Blasts Rattle Iraq Capital
A series of eight or more heavy explosions rattled the Iraqi capital
Monday night. The blasts came in bunches of three or four, spaced in
10-minute intervals.

W-ar
makes Iraq worst place to be a reporterW-ar
has made Iraq the most dangerous country for a reporter to work in,
but Cuba, followed closely by China, jailed most journalists for doing
their job last year, according to reports issued to mark World Press
Freedom Day.

Mutiny
is the only way out of Iraq's inferno
The UN betrayed Iraq by becoming the political arm of US occupation.
Now it must redeem itself --by Naomi Klein Saturday "Can we please
stop calling it a quagmire? The United States isn't mired in a bog in
Iraq, or a marsh; it is free-falling off a
cliff. The only question now is: who will follow the Bush
clan off this precipice, and who will refuse to jump? More and more
are, thankfully, choosing the second option."

MoreSh*tNoBrainsCable
explains its most recent act of censorship in favor of the Bush dictatorship:Why
we pulled Monday's Ted Rall cartoon[Pull *this.*]Item did not meet MSNBC standards of helping the Bush dictatorship
steal the 2004 s-election ['fairness
and taste'] MSNBC.com pulled a cartoon by syndicated political cartoonist
Ted Rall on Monday. Rall’s cartoon, distributed widely by Universal
Press Syndicate to scores of newspapers and Web sites, concerned the
late Pat Tillman, the NFL player who quit football to join the Army.
Tillman was killed last month in Afghanistan.

Patriot
Act Suppresses News of Challenge to Patriot Act
The American Civil Liberties Union disclosed yesterday that it filed
a lawsuit three weeks ago challenging the FBI's methods of obtaining
many business records, but the group was barred from revealing
even the existence of the case until now. The lawsuit was
filed April 6 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, but the case
was kept under seal to avoid violating secrecy rules contained in the
USA Patriot Act, the ACLU said. The group was allowed to
release a redacted version of the lawsuit after weeks of negotiations
with the government.

L.A.-Dulles
flight seen as terror target
Federal officials have pinpointed an airline flight from Los Angeles
to Washington as a potential terrorist target in the past two weeks
and have begun scrutinizing the flight crew's luggage and using security
agents to follow pilots preparing for the flight.

Vanishing
Votes
--by Greg Palast "On October 29, 2002, George W. Bush signed the
Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Hidden behind its apple-pie-and-motherhood
name lies a nasty civil rights time bomb. First, the purges. In the
months leading up to the November 2000 presidential election, Florida
Secretary of State Katherine Harris, in coordination with Governor Jeb
Bush, ordered local election supervisors to purge 57,700 voters from
the registries, supposedly ex-cons not allowed to vote in Florida. At
least 90.2 percent of those on this 'scrub' list, targeted to lose their
civil rights, are innocent. Notably, more than half--about 54 percent--are
black or Hispanic... In the last presidential election [sic], approximately
1 million black and other minorities voted, and their ballots were thrown
away. And they will be tossed again in
November 2004, efficiently, by computer--because HAVA and
other bogus reform measures, stressing reform through complex computerization,
do not address, and in fact worsen, the racial bias of the uncounted
vote." [A must read]

Report:
White House Wrong on Medicare[and
everything else] Bush dictatorship officials were wrong to prevent
a budget expert from giving Congress estimates of the cost of Medicare
legislation, congressional researchers have concluded.

Oil
Price Hits Highest Level Since 1990
The price of oil rose to its highest level in more than 13 years on
Monday as traders 'responded to the weekend killing of five Westerners
working for an oil contractor' in Saudi Arabia. [No, they are responding
to their own Capitalist greed. Oil
firms gushing profits
(May 01, 2004) Driven
by soaring gasoline prices, ChevronTexaco Corp.'s first-quarter
earnings climbed 33 percent, continuing
the oil giant's recent run of gushing profits.]

Navy
Finds Video Camera In Female Sailors' Shower
Navy investigators are searching for whoever is responsible for hiding
a wireless video camera in a shower stall for female sailors. The camera
was found aboard the San Diego-based command ship Coronado on April
14.

US
Mad Cow Test Procedure Violated in Texas-USDA
Federal inspectors failed to perform a required mad cow disease test
on a suspicious animal in Texas, the U.S. Agriculture Department said
on Monday, just as the Bush regime is pushing to reopen world markets
to U.S. beef.

MSG
- Slowly Poisoning America
--Author Unknown "So why is MSG in so may of the foods we eat?
...In the book he [John Erb] wrote, an expose of the food additive industry
called The Slow Poisoning of America, (www.spofamerica.com),
he said that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it has on
the human body. Even the propaganda website sponsored by the food manufacturers
lobby group supporting MSG [here]
explains that the reason they add it to food is to make people eat more...
Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity, it is an addictive
substance: NICOTINE for FOOD!"

*****

U.S.
Needs 250,000 Troops in Iraq, Weapons Inspector Kay Says
David Kay, who led the hunt for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, said
the U.S. may need as many as 250,000 troops
to keep the 'peace' in the country, after basing plans for the occupation
on false assumptions. The situation in the Shia holy city of Najaf "is
beginning to look like a genuine civil rebellion'' with resistance
fighters "numbering in thousands,'' said Kay in an interview
with the British Broadcasting Corp.

Iraq
Costs Surge, May Force Bush to Shuffle Funds, Seek MoreU.S. military operations
in Iraq may be $4 billion over budget by
August, forcing Dictator George W. Bush to shift money from other
Pentagon accounts or ask Congress for more money before the November
s-election, say Republican and Democratic
lawmakers.

11
Troops Killed in Attacks In IraqMilitary
Backtracks on Fallujah Brigade Leader; Civilian Hostage Found Eleven
U.S. service members in Iraq were killed in four attacks by insurgents
late Saturday evening and Sunday, including six who died in a mortar
attack, the military reported. Meanwhile, the former Iraqi general chosen
to head a new force here denied there were any foreign fighters in the
city, calling into question his commitment to American military objectives,
and a top U.S. commander said later the general would not be allowed
to lead the armed men he has already assembled.

Falluja
confusion as toll mounts
America's top soldier has contradicted officers on the ground in Iraq
by denying a Saddam-era general has been given control of the city of
Falluja. Nine US soldiers died in attacks on Sunday, taking to 12 the
death toll for the first two days of May.

Spain's
PM: Iraq Should Serve As Lesson
Spain's prime minister said Sunday he hopes the deteriorating situation
in Iraq will serve as a warning to countries against using preemptive
wars in the future.

Spanish Prime Minister
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero waves to supporters during celebrations
for the 125th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Socialist PSOE
party at the Vistaalegre Palace in Madrid Sunday May 2, 2004. (AP Photo/Denis
Doyle)

Amnesty
International Says It Has Evidence of Pattern of Torture' by Occupation
Amnesty International said it has uncovered a "pattern of torture"
of Iraqi prisoners by occupation troops, and called for an independent
investigation into the claims of abuse. The London-based human rights
group said it had received "scores" of reports of ill treatment of detainees
by British and American troops.

Soldiers
say pictures are 'tip of the iceberg'
British soldiers in Iraq swapped hundreds of photographs of civilians
being mistreated, according to new claims made in the Daily Mirror.
The latest allegations, by two soldiers serving in the Queen's Lancashire
Regiment who sparked controversy after giving the tabloid newspaper
photographs showing British soldiers apparently ill-treating an Iraqi
prisoner, suggest the problem is much more widespread than has been
admitted to by the Prime Minister, Poodle Tony Blair. the two soldiers
said the photographs were "just
the tip off the iceberg".

Troops
'Swapped Hundreds of Abuse Pictures'
Hundreds of photographs have been taken of British servicemen mistreating
Iraqi civilians, it was claimed tonight. Troops serving in southern
Iraq have been swapping the pictures among themselves, said the unnamed
soldiers from the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment who sparked furore over
the weekend by releasing photos apparently showing UK personnel abusing
an Iraqi prisoner. The potentially explosive claims, if proven, would
contradict Prime Minister Poodle Tony Blair’s assurance that any misconduct
in British ranks was “exceptional” and limited to a handful of servicemen.

30
More Torture Scandals ProbedMoD dossier includes Black Watch
double murder claims --Thirty cases of torture and murder by British
and American troops against Iraqi POWs are being investigated by defence
chiefs. The probe will examine photos of members of the Queen's Lancashire
Regiment, who appear to be urinating on a terrified Iraq captive. The
dossier of terror includes : Claims that POWs were thrown to their
deaths from a bridge. A videotape of the killings is said to have
been destroyed. The drowning of 16-year-old Ahmad Jabbar Kareem,
who was allegedly forced into a canal by
British soldiers near Basra.

CIA
accused of link to Iraq prison torture
A US Army Reserve general whose soldiers were photographed as they abused
Iraqi prisoners said she knew nothing about the abuse until weeks after
it occurred and that she was "sickened" by the pictures. Brigadier-General
Janis Karpinski said she suspected the reservists were acting with the
encouragement of military intelligence units that ran the special cell
block used for interrogation and that CIA employees often joined
in the interrogations.

Command
Errors Aided Iraq Abuse, Army Has Found
An internal Army investigation has found that key military intelligence
officers and civilian employees in Iraq may have spurred acts of abuse
and humiliation by American enlisted personnel against Iraqi detainees
at an overcrowded prison outside Baghdad.

Iraqi
Prisoner Details Abuse by Americans
Dhia al-Shweiri spent several stints in Baghdad's notorious Abu Ghraib
prison, twice under Saddam Hussein's rule and once under American. He
prefers Saddam Hussein's torture to the humiliation of being stripped
naked by his American guards, he said Sunday in an interview
with The Associated Press.

Iraqis
are disgusted but not surprised at PoW abuse
Iraqis were disgusted yesterday at further accusations of brutality
and torture at the hands of western troops, but few expressed surprise.
"I expect much worse than that to come out," said Abu Hashem, an engineer,
said, referring to the pictures of naked detainees being ill-treated
by US guards in Abu Ghraib prison. "They said they were liberators
but in fact they are occupation troops."

Arabs
vent anger at sex abuse of prisoners
Arab countries have reacted with rage and revulsion after images of
US troops abusing Iraqi prisoners were broadcast around the world. The
sight of a female soldier taunting a naked male prisoner and scenes
of male prisoners allegedly forced into sexual poses with one another
"are playing on the most sensitive things for Arabs", an Arab diplomat
in Washington said.

Torture
commonplace, say inmates' families
Luke Harding at Abu Ghraib prison, near Baghdad, where stories of US
guards routinely abusing prisoners come as no surprise to Iraqis --The
photos of US soldiers abusing and humiliating Iraqi detainees may have
provoked outrage across the world. But for Hiyam Abbas they merely confirmed
what she already knew - that US guards had tortured her 22-year-old
son Hassan.

Framed
Brit soldiers 'torture' pics fake, say experts
Pictures of Brit squaddies abusing an Iraqi PoW were faked, military
experts said yesterday. Uniform and kit worn by soldiers in the photos
does not appear to be genuine. Doubts were also raised over a rifle,
a truck — and prisoner himself. The pictures have heaped shame on the
Army. But one expert said: “I have no doubt these are staged.” A string
of clues were seized on by experts.

Saudi
killings spread jitters among western companies
Some western companies in the Saudi industrial city of Yanbu were yesterday
pulling their staff out after suspected Saudi extremists went on a shooting
spree, killing five expatriates at a petrochemicals complex there and
raising the stakes in militants' confrontation with the Saudi authorities.
In the first attack on an economic interest in the embattled
kingdom, the world's largest oil exporter, gunmen killed two Americans,
two Britons and an Australian employed by Swiss-based ABB Lummus, an
arm of the Swiss-Swedish engineering and oil services group.

Huge
blast leaves 25 dead - TV report
At least 25 people were killed and 23 wounded when a fuel tank exploded
in Afghanistan's western Herat province on Sunday after a welding accident,
provincial authorities and state television reported.

Al-Qaida
financing plan with blue-chip securitiesBin
Laden, Chinese Secret Intelligence Service said to launder drug cash
through stock market --Al-CIAduh is financing its worldwide
terror operations by investing in blue-chip Australian stocks with the
assistance of Beijing's powerful Secret Intelligence Service (SIS).
Citing information from Britain's MI6 and European intelligence services,
Gordon Thomas, security correspondent for the London Sunday Express,
writes that the bin Laden organization's investment strategy includes
"leading technology and defense corporations in Australia, Singapore
and other Pacific Rim countries."

US
turns focus from criminals to terrorist suspects
For the first time, the number of secret surveillance warrants issued
in US federal terrorism and espionage cases last year exceeded the total
number of wiretaps approved in criminal cases, statistics show. The
data marked a milestone in the history of domestic surveillance by US
law enforcement agencies, government officials and legal and privacy
experts said.

N.Y.
Suitcase Scares Spur Terror 'Dry Run' Fear
Police fear five empty suitcases left at Penn Station, New York FBI
headquarters and other security hot spots in early April were a test
by terrorists bent on a Madrid-type attack on commuter rails, The Post
has learned. [Is the Bush-Rove terror team preparing to play their
hand --declare martial law and postpone/cancel elections?]

Fed
Prepares for Interest Rate Increases
A replay of 1994? That's one question facing Federal Reserve policy-makers
when they meet Tuesday and try to determine how an economy accustomed
to super-low interest rates will react to rising rates.

Fun
With PSY-OPS!
Make your own FLYER! --by Mary Titus "Drop them from planes! Toss
them out car windows! Mail to your favorite multinational!"

*****

Pressure
mounts on Cheney over smears against diplomat and 'outing' of CIA wifeRow that began with
'IoS' interview deepens as Vice-pResident's officials
are accused of serious felony --Vice-pResident
Dick Cheney was under mounting pressure last night after he and his
senior officials were accused of smearing a former ambassador and outing
his wife as an undercover CIA officer in a deliberate act of revenge
hatched inside the White House.

Cheney
accused of smear campaign by ambassador
The former ambassador Joe Wilson yesterday accused Vice-pResident
Dick Cheney and his senior officials of launching a smear campaign against
him and of illegally identifying his wife as an undercover intelligence
officer in an apparent act of revenge. In doing so they "betrayed
America's national security".

Bush
Regime Under Fire for Iraq Spending
The Bush regime is under fire from U.S. lawmakers who complain that
only a tiny portion of the $18.4 billion
to feed Halliburton ['rebuild Iraq'] has been allocated and some
funds are being diverted for 'security' and administration costs.

Vietnamese
general warns US doomed in Iraq
Vo Nguyen Giap, the legendary general who masterminded Vietnam's wars
of independence against the French and American armies, warned the United
States that it faces defeat in Iraq.

Iraqis
hail Falluja victorySoldiers
of the old Iraqi army led by one of Saddam Hussein's generals are patrolling
Falluja, a year after George W. Bush declared the U.S. "mission
accomplished" in ousting the Iraqi regime. Cries of "victory
over the Americans" echoed from minarets on Saturday and
resistance fighters celebrated in the streets under the green banner
of Islam and Hussein-era Iraqi flags.

Falluja
fighters dent US morale
Under cover of darkness, US Marine snipers hunting the fighters of Falluja
have spent a long night on Iraq's desert sand, emerging with little
but frustration. For weeks US Marines operating near the city have been
searching houses, hunting suspected fighters and setting up ambush positions
deep in enemy territory. Few results But the operations have yielded
few tangible results and despite their high-tech weapons and draconian
discipline, US Marines are struggling against resourceful resistance
fighters with no clear leadership, structure or supply lines.

Torture
at Abu GhraibAmerican
soldiers brutalized Iraqis. How far up does the responsibility go?
--by Seymour M. Hersh "A fifty-three-page report, obtained by The
New Yorker, written by Major General Antonio M. Taguba and not meant
for public release, was completed in late February. Its conclusions
about the institutional failures of the Army prison system were devastating.
Specifically, Taguba found that between October and December of 2003
there were numerous instances of 'sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal
abuses' at Abu Ghraib. This systematic and illegal abuse of detainees,
Taguba reported, was perpetrated by soldiers of the 372nd Military Police
Company, and also by members of the American intelligence community."

Abuse
may have been 'order'
Abuse of Iraqi prisoners that sparked worldwide condemnation may have
been ordered by US military intelligence to extract information from
the captives, and was possibly more cruel than officially acknowledged,
The New Yorker magazine and Britain's daily Guardian reported on Saturday.

Iraq
prisoners faced "sadistic" abuses
Iraqi prisoners have faced numerous "sadistic, blatant and wanton
criminal abuses" by U.S. soldiers, including sodomy and beatings,
according to a U.S. Army report quoted by the New Yorker magazine. The
New Yorker said it had obtained a 53-page, internal U.S. military report
into alleged abuses at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad.

Officer
Suggests Iraq Jail Abuse Was Encouraged
An Army Reserve general whose soldiers were photographed as they abused
Iraqi prisoners said Saturday that she knew nothing about the abuse
until weeks after it occurred and that she was "sickened" by the pictures.
She said the prison cellblock where the abuse occurred was under the
tight control of Army military intelligence officers who may have encouraged
the abuse. The suggestion by Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski that the
reservists acted at the behest of military intelligence officers
appears largely supported in a still-classified Army report on prison
conditions in Iraq that documented many of the worst abuses at the Abu
Ghraib prison, west of Baghdad, including the sexual humiliation of
prisoners.

Shame
of Abuse By Brit TroopsRogue
British troops batter Iraqis in mockery of bid to win over people
--A hooded Iraqi captive is beaten by British soldiers before being
thrown from a moving truck and left to die. The prisoner, aged 18-20,
begged for mercy as he was battered with rifle butts and batons in the
head and groin, was kicked, stamped and urinated on, and had a gun barrel
forced into his mouth. After an EIGHT-HOUR ordeal, he was left barely
conscious and close to death. Bleeding and vomiting and with a broken
jaw and missing teeth, he was driven from a Basra camp and hurled off
the truck. No one knows if he lived or died.

Torture
pictures horrify Arab world
Shocking photographs apparently showing British troops torturing an
Iraqi detainee were published last night. The disturbing images were
set to increase the anger of the Arab world after the release of photographs
showing United States troops carrying out acts of mock torture on war
captives.

Iraq
Prisoner Images Anger Arabs
Images of smiling U.S. military police humiliating Iraqi prisoners appeared
in newspapers around the Middle East on Saturday, angering Arabs who
condemned the United States as a champion of rights only for Americans.

Names
of Iraq War Dead Read on ABC Show
Ted Koppel solemnly read aloud the names of American soldiers killed
in the Iraq war during an unusual edition of ABC's "Nightline" Friday
night. Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Thursday it would pre-empt
"Nightline" on its ABC affiliates, including stations in Columbus, Ohio,
and St. Louis, Mo. Maryland-based Sinclair, whose holdings include 62
TV stations, made $65,434 in 2004 political donations — 98
percent of that to Republicans and 2 percent to Democrats
— according to the Web site opensecrets.org, which tracks contributions.

Selective
Service eyes women's draftThe
proposal would also require registration of critical skills --The
chief of the Selective Service System has proposed registering women
for the military draft and requiring that young Americans regularly
inform the government about whether they have training in niche
specialties needed in the armed services.

7
dead in shooting attack in Saudi Arabia; at least 1 Canadian hurt
Four gunmen opened fire at an oil contractor's office in northwestern
Saudi Arabia on Saturday, killing at least seven people before leading
police on a bloody chase through residential neighbourhoods, dragging
the naked body of one victim behind their getaway car. The offices are
across the street from a petrochemicals plant
co-owned by Exxon Mobil and the Saudi company SABIC.

Workers
Kill 5 Westerners in Saudi Firm
Workers at a petrochemical site used their passes to access the
complex and kill five Western engineers in a shooting spree in the Saudi
oil city of Yanbu on Saturday, the Interior Ministry said. The gunmen
killed two Americans, two Britons and an Australian working for the
Swiss-based ABB Lummus in the Red Sea city, the first attack on an oil
facility in the world's largest oil exporter.

Castro
Vows Cuban Socialism to Survive Bush
Cuban President Fidel Castro on Saturday dismissed Bush dictatorship
plans to speed up political change in Cuba and said his government --
in power since 1959 -- will continue building a socialist society
at the U.S. doorstep.

Poll:
Kerry continues to hold lead over Bush
John Kerry continues to hold a large lead in the presidential race over
George W. Bush among Connecticut residents, according to a University
of Connecticut poll released Friday.

California
puts the brakes on unreliable computer 'voting'
California was one of the first US states to embrace computer 'voting'
technology, investing hundreds of millions of dollars in touchscreen
machines that promised to catapult the balloting process into the 21st
century. Now, however, it has become the first state to slam the brakes
on computer 'voting,' in response to reports about the systems' susceptibility
to breakdown, potentially undetectable malfunction and outright fraud.

Diebold's
Secret FearsLawyer
memos warn that the voting-machine company may have violated state law
--by Howard Blume and Robert Greene "Okay, it’s not a tale of that
vaunted 'vast right-wing conspiracy,' but suddenly the case against
Diebold’s electronic-voting machines is gaining momentum. Last week,
an advisory panel for the California secretary of state recommended
ditching the machines for the November presidential elections. That
event was widely reported, including in the Los Angeles Times.
What wasn’t reported locally is Exhibit A, internal documents from lawyers
for Texas-based Diebold Election Systems, Inc. In these documents, the
attorneys concede that the company used uncertified voting machines
during elections before January 28, 2004. The memos also state that
such actions would violate both California election law and, by extension,
Diebold’s $12.7 million contract with Alameda County."

Justice
Souter assaulted during jogPolice
sources: Attack appears to have been random --U.S. Supreme Court
Justice David Souter was assaulted by two men Friday night and taken
to a hospital with minor injuries, a court spokeswoman said.

Opponents
of gay marriage face chanting protesters at Safeco Field
The "Mayday for Marriage'' event opposing gay marriage brought
out about 20-thousand to 25-thousand people. But hundreds of pro-gay
protesters have been trying to shout down the speakers from the stands.
Before the event started, about 15-hundred counter-protesters waved
signs and chanted "Bigots go home!''
at those arriving.

Governor
bent out of shape over bobbler
Having abolished higher car taxes and driver's licenses for illegal
immigrants, [GOP-installed] Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is training
his sight on his next target: an 8-inch-tall bobblehead doll of himself.
The governor has threatened to sue a Canton, Ohio, company that made
1, 000 of the bobbers and is selling them on the Internet, claiming
the doll is an "unauthorized commercial exploitation" of Schwarzenegger's
image.

*****

UK
troops in Iraqi torture probe
The Ministry of Defence has launched an investigation into allegations
that British soldiers have been pictured torturing an Iraqi prisoner.
The photographs, obtained by the Daily Mirror newspaper, show a suspected
thief being beaten and urinated on.

British
troops in torture scandalMistreatment
of PoWs deepens controversy in Iraq --The controversy over the abuse
of Iraqi prisoners deepened last night when photographs were released
apparently showing the torture of a PoW by a British soldier. The Ministry
of Defence launched an immediate investigation into the circumstances
surrounding the photographs, in which a prisoner appears to be battered
with rifle butts, threatened with execution and urinated on by his captors.

UK
army probes alleged torture in Iraq
A probe has been launched into allegations British soldiers tortured
Iraqi prisoners, a day after similar revelations involving U.S. troops
received widespread condemnation.

US
military in torture scandalUse
of private contractors in Iraqi jail interrogations
highlighted by inquiry into abuse of prisoners --Graphic photographs
showing the torture and sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners in a US-run
prison outside Baghdad emerged yesterday from a military inquiry which
has left six soldiers facing a possible court martial and a general
under investigation. The scandal has also brought to light the growing
and largely unregulated role of private contractors in the interrogation
of detainees. According to lawyers for some of the soldiers, they
claimed to be acting in part under the instruction of mercenary interrogators
hired by the Pentagon.

Contractors
in Iraq questioned about abuse
A private military contractor acknowledged Friday that its employees
had been questioned in connection with allegations that U.S. soldiers
abused Iraqi prisoners at the U.S. military's main detention center
in Iraq. CACI International of Arlington, Va., said the employees had
volunteered to be interviewed in a case in which six U.S. soldiers have
been charged with sexually and physically abusing Iraqi prisoners at
Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad.

Warming!!
Graphic imagesThe
Abu Ghraib Prison Photos (albasrah.net) "It’s the 'liberation'
of the Iraqi people. These are just some of the photos that led to an
investigation into conditions at the Abu Ghraib prison, now run by the
occupation authorities, as revealed in a shocking report
broadcast by CBS on 60 Minutes II."

'I
asked for help and warned of this but nobody would listen'
After an investigation was launched into the alleged abuse of prisoners
at Abu Ghraib prison, Staff Sergeant Ivan "Chip" Frederick decided to
keep a journal to ensure his side of the story would be revealed. The
journals seen by the Guardian begin on January 19 2004 and detail
the conditions of the prisoners, apparent torture, and the death of
one inmate after interrogation.

Families
of the 372nd tormented by stories of POW abuses in Iraq
Soldier detailed problems in journal sent to father in Md. --For months,
members of the 372nd Military Police Company harbored a terrible secret...
The Army said yesterday that 14 of the 17 soldiers implicated in an
investigation of abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison are from
the 372nd. They face either criminal or administrative charges.

Japanese
hostages defend captors
Despite having been held at gunpoint, threatened with knives and held
captive for nine days, two Japanese men who were kidnapped in Iraq expressed
sympathy for their captors yesterday, calling them soldiers and resistance
fighters. Soichiro Koriyama, 32, a photojournalist, said he believed
the abductors were not terrorists. "They were resistance fighters,
defending themselves against US troops."

Saving
AliWhere
US snipers fire at ambulances --by Lee Gordon in Falluja "I
volunteered to ride in ambulances evacuating the wounded. Surely they
don't shoot ambulances? In fact, US snipers
were targeting ambulances. I learned to pick out the beams
of sniper rifles. I remember the medics' anger when the hospital's last
working ambulance carrying British and American volunteers returned
shot to pieces, how stunned they were when American, British and
Australian volunteers came under fire after declaring their nationalities
to US troops.

'It's
hell...everything will be destroyed'Military
accused of violating Falluja ceasefire --After two nights of bombardment
[in Falluja] by US jet fighters, the Ahmed family had had enough...
Some 24 hours later, Mr Ahmed made it to Baghdad. "It's hell,"
Mr Ahmed said, minutes after arriving at a refugee camp set up by the
Iraqi Red Crescent on a roadside football pitch. "The
Americans have violated the ceasefire. They are attacking
us with jet fighters, tanks and artillery. The US snipers are on every
roof and minaret. They don't care who they shoot. They are shooting
old people, women and children.Where is the UN in all this?"

Bush
censorship in Qatar:Qatar
pledges al-Jazeera 'review' --Qatar's foreign minister says
he will tell the satellite television station al-Jazeera to review its
coverage after complaints of bias from Washington. Sheikh Hamad bin
Jassim was speaking after talks at the White House with US Vice-pResident
Dick Cheney and Whackjob Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Bush
censorship in the US:McCain
rebukes Sinclair 'Nightline' decisionStation owner orders
affiliates not to air program --The decision of Sinclair Broadcast
Group, which ordered its seven ABC stations not to broadcast Friday's
"Nightline," has received criticism from U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona).
Friday's show [aired] the names and photographs of the more than 500
U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war. Some of the stations have received
many calls and e-mails in response to Sinclair's decision. "I have
not gotten one positive response," said an assignment desk editor
at WSYX, the ABC station in Columbus, Ohio.

McCain
Letter to Sinclair Broadcast On Preemption of Nightline
(mccain.senate.gov press release) "U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
issued the following letter today to Mr. David Smith, President and
CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group, in response to the preemption of this
evening’s Nightline program: I write to strongly protest your decision
to instruct Sinclair’s ABC affiliates to preempt this evening’s Nightline
program. I find deeply offensive
Sinclair’s objection to Nightline’s intention to broadcast the names
and photographs of Americans who gave their lives in service to our
country in Iraq... Your decision to deny your viewers an opportunity
to be reminded of war’s terrible costs, in all their heartbreaking detail,
is a gross disservice to the public, and to the men and women of the
United States Armed Forces. It is, in short, sir, unpatriotic. I hope
it meets with the public opprobrium it most certainly deserves."

US
warns Syria of sanctions move
The US has reminded Syria it intends to impose sanctions over what it
calls its support for 'terrorism' and failure to stop 'militants' from
entering Iraq.

U.S.
pushes Canada to exploit terror laws
Enforcement powers expanded in 2001 haven't been used, State Department
says --The Bush dictatorship has faulted Ottawa for not fully exploiting
its legal powers against known terrorist groups, including Osama bin
Laden's al-CIAduh and an array of
regional groups.

Bremer
Warned of Terrorism Threat 6 Months Before 9/11
The head of the U.S.-led occupation in Iraq, Paul Bremer, warned six
months before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that the Bush dictatorship
seemed to be paying no attention to the problem of terrorism and appeared
to "stagger along" on the issue.

Bremer
Faulted Bush Before Terror AttacksL.
Paul Bremer, U.S. Administrator in Iraq, Criticized Bush on Terrorism
Before 9/11 Attacks --L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in
Iraq, said in a speech six months before the Sept. 11 attacks that the
Bush dictatorship was "paying no attention"
to terrorism.

Five
Virginia ships head to war on 'terrorism'
Two small Navy ships used for coastal patrols deployed Friday for the
war on 'terrorism' [?!?] with the
deaths of two fellow Virginia-based sailors a fresh reminder of the
volatile situation the crews face. [The phony 'war on terrorism'
is actually Bush's W-ar on civil liberties,
which is the reason his dictatorship let the 9-11 terrorist attacks
to happen.]

Record
income at Chevron-Texaco
ChevronTexaco, the second-biggest oil and gas company in the US, on
Friday reported record first-quarter net income - $2.56bn,
or $2.40 a share, up 33 per cent on
the year. The industry has profited from high oil and natural
gas prices, as well as increased demand and better margins for refined
products and chemicals.

Mega
Bulimia Alert!Cheney
Praises Faux News ChannelVice pResident Calls Network 'More
Accurate' Than Others --Vice pResident Cheney endorsed the Faux
News Channel during a conference call last night with tens of thousands
of Republicans who were gathered across the country to celebrate a National
Party for the President [sic] Day organized by the Bush-Cheney campaign.
[This is Faux's reward for their help with the Bush-Rove 2000 coup
d'etat.]

No
Politics Please, Florida Students Tell Cheney
Students at Florida State University asked for assurances that Vice
pResident Dick Cheney won't deliver
a "political diatribe" or launch
a campaign rally when he speaks at their graduation on Saturday. [The
students should prevent him from 'speaking.']

Conn.
Panel to Begin Impeachment of Gov.
Members of a special legislative committee that has been considering
whether [Republican] Gov. John G.
Rowland should be impeached asked its lawyer to draft an article of
impeachment Friday because he has not cooperated with their probe.

Secretary
Of State Bans Electronic 'Voting'
With harsh criticism, California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley ordered
the plug pulled on all touch-screen 'voting' machines in the state because
of concerns over security. A total of 14 counties and millions of voters
were planning to use touch-screens on Election Day in November.

Dean
preps for talkshow
While everything's still in the early talking stages, former Democratic
presidential candidate Howard Dean, M.D., is mulling the idea of hosting
his own syndicated gabfest. Dean is in Hollywood this week, and he's
taking meetings with execs at Viacom-owned Paramount Domestic Television.

Global
warming linked to high asthma rates Kids in U.S. inner cities
hit hard by smog and increased pollen, study finds --America's cities,
blanketed with smog and climate-altering carbon dioxide, have become
cradles of ill health and are fostering an epidemic of asthma, according
to a report yesterday from a leading group of Harvard University researchers
and the American Public Health Association.

Holy
cow!!USDA
Investigating Condemned Texas Cow The U.S. Department of Agriculture
did not test a head of cattle in Texas that displayed central nervous
symptoms even though such symptoms
could be associated with mad cow disease, USDA officials said on Friday.

*****

Cheney
staff accused of role in CIA leak
Vice pResident Cheney was aware
of a meeting held by his staff that started a chain of events that ended
with the "effective betrayal of our country," former U.S. diplomat
Joseph Wilson charged Thursday in an interview with USA TODAY.

Justices
Appear to Support Cheney Task Force Secrecy
In a closely watched test of the president[sic]'s right to operate behind
closed doors, the Bush dictatorship urged the Supreme Court on Tuesday
to preserve the 'freedom of the executive branch' to solicit private
outside advice. Most of the justices signaled that they were prepared
to do just that. The high court was asked to overturn two lower-court
rulings that ordered Vice pResident
Dick Cheney to turn over documents disclosing who met with his task
force to help formulate the regime's national energy policy in 2001.

US
military in torture scandalUse
of private contractors in Iraqi jail interrogations highlighted by inquiry
into abuse of prisoners --Graphic photographs showing the torture
and sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners in a US-run prison outside Baghdad
emerged yesterday from a military inquiry which has left six soldiers
facing a possible court martial and a general under investigation. The
scandal has also brought to light the growing and largely unregulated
role of private contractors in the interrogation of detainees.

US
investigating abuse of Iraqi prisoners
The United States military has announced that it is pursuing a widening
criminal investigation into allegations that its own soldiers committed
acts of abuse, humiliation and torture against Iraqi prisoners,
as photographs of the purported incidents were aired for the first time
on US network television.

Abuse
of Iraqi POWs By GIs Probed
Last month, the U.S. Army announced 17 soldiers in Iraq, including a
brigadier general, had been removed from duty after charges of mistreating
Iraqi prisoners. But the details of what happened have been kept secret,
until now. It turns out photographs surfaced showing American soldiers
abusing and humiliating Iraqis being held at a prison near Baghdad.

Fleeing
Fallujans killed as crisis deepensUS
soldiers have fired on a minibus full of civilians
near a checkpoint on the outskirts of the besieged Iraqi town of Falluja.
Witnesses said a hail of bullets from occupation forces on Thursday
turned the vehicle into a ball of fire.

Fallujah
accord leaves US policy in disarray
The United States’ policy on Iraq was in disarray last night, as the
Pentagon admitted it was unaware of a breakthrough agreement to end
the siege of Fallujah announced by its troops on the ground.

US
forces to pull out of Falluja
US forces today announced an end to their siege of Falluja, saying they
will pull out immediately to allow a newly-created, Iraqi security force
to secure the city. The new force, known as the Falluja Protective
Army, will consist of up to 1,100 Iraqi soldiers led
by a former general from the military of Saddam Hussein and
will begin moving into the city tomorrow.

Wow,
here's a shocker! (sarcasm *on*)Hussein's
Agents Are Behind Attacks in Iraq, Pentagon Finds A Pentagon
intelligence report has concluded that many bombings against Americans
and their allies in Iraq, and the more sophisticated of the resistance
attacks in Falluja, are organized and often carried out by members of
Saddam Hussein's secret service, who planned
for the insurgency even before the fall of Baghdad. [Yes,
and Bush the *Moron* did not! 'Mission Accomplished!?!' Bush should
be tried for treason! He LIED to get congress to approve of his illegal,
immoral occupation of Iraq, which was a ruse to feed Halliburton
Hell. And, the Idiot Usurping Lying Dictatorial Weasel thinks
he will be re s-elected??? Not without
Diebold's vote-fraud and/or the Bush-Rove team considering a terrorist
attack on Los Angeles or Chicago ('liberal' areas, kill two birds with
one stone) to 'postpone' or cancel elections. We need to *remove* the
Bush dictatorship from power. That is the solution.]

Siege
of Fallujah provokes second mutiny
A second unit of the Iraqi armed forces has mutinied at Fallujah after
being involved in heavy fighting with insurgents Ali Allawi, the Iraqi
Defence Minister, said yesterday.

Poll:
Iraqis Want U.S. Out of Country
Despite concerns about their own safety, the majority of Iraqis say
they want the U.S. and British troops now in Iraq to leave within the
next few months, according to a nationwide poll of people in Iraq.

Soldier
who missed duty is arrestedHis
ailing mother says Fort Lewis engineer was caring for her --The
mother of a 19-year-old Fort Lewis soldier who was arrested in Salinas,
Calif., after being away from the Army for at least four months said
he was not avoiding war in Iraq but was caring for her because she
has cancer.

U.S.
Deaths in Iraq Up Sharply in AprilFewer
Casualties in '03 Major Combat --With the deaths of 10 American
soldiers in Iraq yesterday, more U.S. troops have died in combat in
April than in the six weeks of sustained military operations required
to take Baghdad last year. Since April 1, more than 120 troops have
been killed in action in Iraq, according to the Pentagon.

Pentagon's
No. 2 Flubs Iraq Casualties
Asked how many American troops have died in Iraq, the Pentagon's No.
2 civilian estimated Thursday the total was about 500 — more than
200 soldiers short.

Sinclair
to Preempt 'Nightline' on ABC Stations, Cites PoliticsSinclair Broadcast Group Inc. ordered
its ABC affiliates to preempt tomorrow's broadcast of "Nightline,''
which will air the names and photos of U.S. military personnel who have
died in combat in Iraq, saying the move is politically motivated. [This
Bush-generated Fascism will not stand. We cannot allow the Bush dictatorship
to continue to seize the airwaves. The affiliates need to air Nightline,
even if means people enter Master Control to air it.]

Sinclair
Stations to Boycott 'Nightline' Tribute
A major television chain, the Sinclair Broadcast Group, will bar its
ABC-affiliated stations from airing a planned "Nightline" tribute to
fallen U.S. troops in Iraq, saying the program is a political statement
disguised as news. The Washington-based liberal think tank the Center
for American Progress cited campaign contribution reports showing Sinclair
executives have donated more than $130,000 to Dictator Bush and his
political allies since 2000.

Iraq
war's legality ruled out of court
Five peace activists charged with trying to stop B-52 bombers attacking
Iraq from Gloucestershire failed yesterday to bring the war's questionable
legality into their defence.

Polls
reveal Iraqi opposition and fall in US support for warIn a particularly
ominous turn for Dictator George Bush, opinion is hardening in both
the US and Iraq against his handling of the Iraq conflict, amid rumblings
of unease in the military and among diplomats at the course of events
there and the Middle East as a whole.

Five
Afghan Soldiers Killed in Taliban Clash
At least five government soldiers were killed in clashes with the ousted
Taliban militia in Afghanistan's volatile Kandahar province, scene of
a growing Taliban insurgency, a provincial official said on Friday.

More
Agents Track Castro Than Bin Laden
The Treasury Department agency entrusted with blocking the financial
resources of terrorists has assigned five times as many agents to investigate
Cuban embargo violations as it has to track Osama bin Laden's and Saddam
Hussein's money, documents show. [That's because bin Laden might
be on Carlyle Group's payroll, while Castro is an enemy of Halliburton.]

Security
Tightened at L.A. Malls After Threat
Extra police patrolled Los Angeles shopping malls on Thursday but stores
stayed open for business after an anonymous phone call threatening an
attack in the city's upscale Westside.

Kerry
Raps Bush on Security of Chemical Plants Democrat John Kerry
on Thursday declared U.S. cities at risk because of a lack of safeguards
on chemical plants, as he took aim at Dictator Bush's 'leadership' in
the war on 'terror.'

Ben
Affleck lobbies lawmakers to raise US minimum wage
Matinee idol Ben Affleck came to the US Congress Thursday to lobby for
higher pay for some of America's lowest-paid workers. Affleck, who earns
millions per screen appearance, appeared alongside Massachusetts Senator
Ted Kennedy to urge lawmakers to increase the federal minimum wage from
its current five dollars and 15 cents per hour to seven dollars per
hour.

E.P.A.
Will Not Withdraw Its Mercury PlanRebuffing
pressure from Democrats and environmental groups, the Environmental
'Protection' Agency announced on Thursday that it would not withdraw
its plan for allowing power plants to buy and sell the rights to
emit mercury.

Diesel
Fouls Marsh Near San Francisco
A pipeline that pumps petroleum from refineries in the San Francisco
Bay area ruptured, gushing diesel fuel into a marsh that serves as a
key nesting ground for migratory birds and prompting an emergency cleanup
effort Thursday.

Iraqis
offer bounty for US officials
Resistance fighters in the Iraqi city of Falluja have placed a $15
million bounty on the heads of key US occupation figures,
including Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld. The reward is also
offered for the capture of US Commander in Iraq, Lieutenant-General
Ricardo Sanchez and US occupation forces' spokesperson in the country,
Brigadier Mark Kimmit.

Leaflets displaying
the wanted 'men' have been distributed

Iraq
war boosts Halliburton profits
Controversial US oil and services group Halliburton has said that its
contracts in Iraq had helped boost its turnover by about 80%
in the first three months of the year. Support work to US military operations
and US-funded reconstruction projects made up $2.1
billion out of the company's $5.5 billion of revenue in the
first quarter, the Houston-based group said in a statement on Wednesday.

Pentagon
Official Under Investigation
A senior Defense Department official is under investigation by the Pentagon
inspector general for allegations that he attempted to alter a contract
proposal in Iraq to benefit a mobile phone consortium that includes
friends and colleagues, according to documents obtained by The Times
and sources with direct knowledge of the process.

Iraq
congress members under investigationAllegations
include abduction, robbery, assault, car theft --Members of the
Iraqi National Congress and its leader Ahmed Chalabi were airlifted
into southern Iraq the day Saddam’s government fell. Chalabi was Dictator
Bush’s guest at the State of the disUnion
address. Even today, the INC gets $340,000
a month from the Pentagon to feed the United States intelligence information.

Apartheid
assassins meet match in Iraq
Some of the worst human rights violators of the apartheid era, including
a man who helped kill 14 civilians while they slept, have been employed
as security contractors in Iraq. A South African killed in Iraq two
weeks ago once worked for a secret apartheid death squad known as the
Civil Co-operation Bureau. The CCB specialised
in assassinating civilians who sympathised with black liberation movements.

Photos
show alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners
U.S. soldiers stacked Iraqi prisoners in a human pyramid, and attached
wires to one detainee to convince him he might be electrocuted, according
to photographs obtained by CBS News which led to criminal charges against
six Americans.

In
Two Sieges, U.S. Finds Itself Shut OutOfficials
Find No Good Options for Ending Fallujah, Najaf Standoffs --Perched
atop sandbags and peering through powerful binoculars, Marine officers
manning front-line positions around this tense city can see the problem
clearly enough, even through the swirling dust that gives Fallujah the
sepia hue of a Wild West town: Military-age men in white robes swagger
about with impunity, they say, hardening their defenses and resupplying
their encampments. The Marines say the men are Sunni Muslim resistance
fighters who have taken over this Euphrates River city and transformed
it into a stronghold of resistance to the American occupation of Iraq.

U.S.
Warplane Fires on Fallujah Targets
U.S. warplanes pounded Fallujah with 500-pound laser-guided bombs Wednesday
and Marines battled resistance fighters near a train station and in
neighborhoods that had seemed to be quieting. American forces decided
to delay potentially dangerous patrols into the besieged city.

Blair:
US 'right' to bomb rebels
Tony Blair yesterday launched a staunch defence of the occupation tactics
in Iraq as the stand-off between United States forces and resistance
fighters in the city of Fallujah threatened to escalate into a full-scale
military confrontation. The Poodle insisted the approach adopted by
the US military in the city was "essentially right" despite reports
that hundreds of women and children had been killed during three
days of intense fighting.

U.S.
rushes tanks to Iraq to crush rebels
The U.S. military has rushed more tanks and other armoured vehicles
to Iraq after requests from commanders in the bloodiest month for
American troops since Saddam Hussein was toppled.

US
hurries to reinforce armour after casualties soarMove
follows complaints from officers --The Pentagon is rushing more
armour to Iraq to protect its troops after casualties reached record
levels this month, it emerged yesterday. More tanks and armoured
vehicles - which had been left behind by units not expecting full-blown
combat - are to be sent, and the production of reinforced Humvee patrol
cars has been accelerated.

Army
Finds Troop Supply 'Getting Thin'
The Army could have a tough time finding more combat troops if they
are needed in Iraq. Of the service's 10 active-duty divisions, all or
parts of nine are either already in Iraq to serve 12-month tours of
duty, or have just returned home in recent weeks after a year's duty.

Army
chiefs resist call for more Iraq troopsBritish
commanders fear getting sucked into US operations as Falluja battle
rages --Senior
military chiefs have strongly resisted proposals to send more British
troops to Iraq or any extension of their area of command until clearer
signals are given about their legal status after the June 30 handover
of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government.

Blow
to 'rebuilding' hopes as BP backs outChief
oil industry executive cites security and political fears --BP's
chief executive delivered a serious setback to hopes of 'rebuilding'
Iraq when he said that the oil company has no future there.

Bush's
Approval Rating at All-Time Low -Poll Dictator Bush's approval
rating is at an all-time low and
fewer than half of Americans now believe invading Iraq was the right
thing to do, according to a CBS/New York Times poll released on Wednesday.

Poll:
Growing Doubts On Iraq One year after the declared end of major
combat in Iraq, Americans have new
doubts about the W-ar and doubts
about what the Bush Dictatorship has said about it. Less than half,
47 percent, now say the U.S. did the right thing taking military action
in Iraq, the lowest support recorded in CBS News/New York Times Polls
since the W-ar began.

Pulp
fictions triumph over truthFor
those who backed Bush over war in Iraq, the idea of proof has shifted
from fact to fervour --by Sidney Blumenthal "... [O]ne year
after [Dictator] Bush's triumphant May Day landing on the deck of the
USS Lincoln and appearance behind a 'Mission Accomplished' sign, his
splendid little war has entered a Stalingrad-like phase of urban siege
and house-to-house combat. April has been the bloodiest month
by far - 122 US soldiers killed compared with 73 last April in the supposed
last month of the war. The unending war has inspired among Bush's backers
a rally-round-the-flag effect, a redoubling of belief... The attacks
against Kerry are a bodyguard of lies to protect the original ones who
are the praetorian guard of Bush's presidency [sic]."

US
warns against travel to Israel
The United States has warned its citizens to avoid travel to Israel,
and to leave the Gaza Strip immediately. The State Department warning
said that the group Hamas had made threats against US interests.

Bush
Says Looking Forward to 9 / 11 Questions
Democrats say the White House insistence that Dictator Bush and Vice
pResident Cheney appear together
may be an attempt to eliminate the possibility of contradictory testimony
over whether the Bush regime did all it could to head off the attacks
using four hijacked commercial planes. Past testimony has established
that elements of the U.S. intelligence apparatus were aware of threats
to American targets from the militant al Qaeda network, led by Osama
bin Laden. Rebuffing demands from families of some of the nearly
3,000 dead and other critics for public testimony, Bush and Cheney
agreed to the unprecedented interview only under pressure and on the
grounds they would appear together and in private. They will not be
under oath.

Miller:
Legislatures Should Pick Senators
Zell Miller, Georgia's maverick Reichwing whackjob ['Democratic'] senator,
says the nation ought to return to having senators appointed by legislatures
rather than elected by voters. [Why not? The 'president' was appointed
by Dick Cheney's duck-hunting nutball on the Whore Court, etc.]

Supreme
Court Hears Enemy Combatant Case
The war on 'terrorism' gives the government power to seize Americans
and hold them without charges for as long as it takes to ensure
they are not a danger to the nation, the Bush dictatorship told the
Supreme Court on Wednesday.

City
Denies Anti-W-ar Rally PermitOrganizers Expected 250,000 Demonstrators --An anti-war group
planning a massive demonstration at the start of the Republican National
Convention in Manhattan has been denied a permit to rally in Central
Park because the crowd would be too large.
[There will be far, far more than 250,000 protesters who may be forced
to have an UN-'permitted' rally.]

ACLU
Challenges FBI's Request for ISP Records
The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the FBI's use of expanded
powers to compel Internet service providers to turn over information
about their customers or subscribers. A lawsuit challenging secret
FBI national security letters was filed April 6 in U.S. District Court
in New York but not made public until Wednesday because of its extraordinary
sensitivity. The FBI can issue national security letters, or NSLs,
without a judge's approval in terrorism and espionage cases. They require
telephone companies, Internet service providers, banks, credit bureaus
and other businesses to produce highly personal records about their
customers or subscribers. People who receive the letters are prohibited
by law from disclosing to anyone that they did so.

Secret
Service confiscates anti-Bush drawings by 15-year-old at Prosser High
A few political sketches took a 15-year-old Prosser boy from his art
class to questioning by the Secret Service. On Friday, the boy was questioned
by the Secret Service after his art 'teacher' [Nazi] turned in
sketches by the boy featuring Dictator Bush. In one, Bush's head was
on a stake.In another, he was dressed as the devil, firing off rockets.
The caption on one sketch read, "End the War -- on terrorism." There
were more sketches, including one of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution
in flames. A family friend says the sketchbook has not
been returned to the boy. Prosser police Chief Win Taylor says the
boy and his sketches were seen as "a threat against the president [sic]
of the United States. And we notified the Secret Service because that's
their bailiwick." He sees the situation as a clear-cut case. [Note
to Taylor: the artwork cannot be 'a threat against the president of
the United States,' because Dictator Bush is *not* the President!]

Secret
Service Eyes Bush's Head On A Stick[LOL!]Agents Question Art Student Over Drawings --Secret Service agents
questioned a high school student about anti-war drawings he did for
an art class, one of which depicted Dictator Bush's head on a stick.
Another pencil-and-ink drawing portrayed Bush as a devil launching a
missile, with a caption reading "End the war -- on terrorism." The 15-year-old
boy's art 'teacher' at Prosser High School turned the drawings over
to school 'administrators,' who notified police, who called the Secret
Service.

Secret
Service questions student about anti-war drawings
US authorities have been accused of "living
in '1984' after a high school student who drew the head of
Dictator George W Bush impaled on a stick was interviewed by the Secret
Service. The anti-war drawings had been done for an art class. Another
pencil-and-ink drawing portrayed Bush as a devil launching a missile,
with a caption reading "End the war - on terrorism". The 15-year-old's
art 'teacher' at Prosser High School in Washington State on the US West
coast turned the drawings over to school 'administrators', who notified
police, who called the Secret Service.

Congressional
Districts Can Be Drawn to Favor Republicans;
Supreme Court Upholds Gerrymandering --by Eric Jaffa "The Supreme
Court ruled 5-4 that Pennsylvania can gerrymander its US Congressional
districts to favor Republicans ("Vieth v. Jubelirer.") The
same justices who voted against state’s rights to stop Florida
from recounting votes for Gore and Bush, voted for state’s rights
when it came to gerrymandering Pennsylvania to favor Republicans in
the House."

Al
Gore to Donate $6 Million to Democratic Groups
President Al Gore promised on Wednesday to give more than $6 million
left over from his 2000 presidential bid to help Democrat John Kerry
fight "outrageous and misleading" Republican attacks. Gore said he will
give $4 million to the Democratic National Committee and $1 million
each to the party's House and Senate committees. [Why doesn't Al
Gore give money toward exposing and ELIMINATING the touch-screen 'voting'
machines? Even if the Democrats actually get more votes, Diebold currently
owns the outcome, and the GOP owns Diebold.]

Kerry
Wants Chem Plant Safety Reviews
Democrat John Kerry, accusing the Bush regime of failing to protect
chemical plants, says he would require them to assess their risks of
catastrophic attack and use less dangerous chemicals when possible.

After
emotional debate, King street no more in ZephyrhillsMartin Luther King
Jr. Avenue again will be known as Sixth Avenue after rancorous debate.
The Zephyrhills City Council changed the newly named Martin Luther King
Jr. Avenue back to its original name, Sixth Avenue, becoming perhaps
the first community in Florida to do so. The 3-2 vote brought mixed
reactions from the crowd of 200 people who packed into City Hall.

*****

Justice
Department Reviewing AshcroftFEC
Data Pointed to Possible Violations --The Justice Department's Public
Integrity Section is reviewing allegations that Attorney General John
D. Ashcroft may have violated federal campaign
finance and disclosure laws based on information developed
by the Federal Election Commission.

U.S.
missile defense to be up by September
The chief of the U.S. military's missile defense programs said Tuesday
he expects to be able to 'protect' [Yeah, right!] all of the
United States from a North Korean attack by the end of 2004, but said
failures in two upcoming tests could mean "big problems" for the controversial
program.

Iraq
victim was top-secret apartheid killer
A security contractor killed in Iraq last week was once one of South
Africa's most secret covert agents, his identity guarded so closely
that even the Truth and Reconciliation Commission did not discover the
extent of his involvement in apartheid's silent wars. Gray Branfield,
55, admitted to being part of a death squad
which gunned down Joe Gqabi, the ANC's chief representative and Umkhonto
weSizwe operational head in Zimbabwe on July 31 1981. Gqabi was shot
19 times when three assassins ambushed him as he reversed down the driveway
of his Harare home.

Attacks
halt rebuilding of IraqDisaster
facing power network as contractors pull out : Attacks halt rebuilding
of Iraq --Vital reconstruction work in Iraq has almost completely
ground to a halt after being "screwed up"
by the deteriorating security situation in the country, senior occupation
officials have told the Guardian.

U.S.
Warplanes Hit Resistance Fighters in Fallujah
U.S. warplanes and artillery attacked Sunni resistance fighters holed
up in a slum in a thunderous show of force that rocked Fallujah Tuesday,
sending huge plumes of black smoke into the night sky. The assault came
after American troops killed 64 resistance fighters near the southern
city of Najaf.

Intense
explosions rock FallujahIn Najaf, meanwhile, U.S. military
says 64 resistance fighters killed --Explosions shook this stronghold
of resistance after dark Tuesday as a U.S. AC-130 gunship and tanks
hammered targets in the city. "I can hear more than 10 explosions
a minute. Fires are lighting the night sky," one witness told Reuters.
[Bush/Cheney
are testiLYING before the 9-11 Commission
on Thursday. Rove needs Weapons of Mass Distraction...]

Warehouse
explodes as U.S. troops enter
Soldiers killed while [planting]
'looking for chemicals' A workshop believed to be producing chemical
munitions exploded in flames Monday moments after U.S. troops broke
in to [plant] 'search' it, killing
two soldiers and wounding five. Jubilant Iraqis swarmed over the Americans’

Barzani
blames U.S. for standoff
Iraq's current Governing Council president said Monday the United States
has only itself to blame for the military deadlock at Najaf and Fallujah
because it allowed its troops to change from "an army of liberation"
to "an army of occupation."

Shut
out of briefing
"Last week Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives
were given a closed-door briefing by Condoleezza Rice, President [sic]
Bush's national security adviser, about the Iraq war, the extension
of duty for U.S. troops and the June 30 handover of Iraqi sovereignty.
Democrats in Congress were not invited and
not allowed to participate." Rep. Rep. Betty McCollum,
Washington, D.C.

We
need to make sure that Reichwing terrorist, John Negroponte, is NOT
confirmed by the Senate to 'serve' [Halliburton Hell] in Iraq. [Visit
CLG's Actions
page and CLG's
Peaceprotests page.]

"Friends
- please contact your senate offices and tell
them to VOTE NO on death squad leader John Negroponte. NO
on Negroponte to U.S. embassy in Iraq. You can find the e-mail contact
for your senator here.
Please pass this on. (The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding
hearings today.) Info on his death squads - Death
Squad Ambassador: Senate Hearings Begin on Negroponte Iraq Appointment
'The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding hearings today on
John Negroponte's appointment to the Baghdad embassy. Negroponte's reputation
as ambassador to Honduras from 1981 to 1985 earned him a reputation
for supporting widespread human rights abuses and campaigns of terror.'"
--Action alert
submitted by Mary Titus.

Syrian
capital 'rocked by blasts'
A series of explosions and gunfire rocked the Syrian capital Damascus
on Tuesday evening, reports say. A highway near the Iranian and Canadian
embassies is said to have been hit by three to five blasts over the
past few hours, and heavy gunfire was heard.

Bush,
Cheney to Face 9/11 Questioning in Secret The White House said
on Tuesday it would not allow any recordings or transcripts of private
testimony this week by Dictator Bush and Vice pResident
Dick Cheney to the panel investigating the Sept. 11 attacks. [Useless
is as useless does.]

Translator
alleges FBI / State Dept espionage, possible treason
--by Tom Flocco "Former FBI contract linguist Sibel Dinez Edmonds
did not back down regarding reported evidence she uncovered implicating
espionage in the FBI and State Department when we recently asked whether
she thought the explosive information would ever see the light of day.
'As you know, I cannot say much about that; but why do you think Attorney
General Ashcroft asserted State Secret Privilege in my case when I decided
to go public with what I had found in the translations?' she said....
The translator alluded to additional but more volatile allegations in
a phone call on Friday night to Kyle Hence, cofounder of 9-11
Citizens Watch, who said in a widely distributed email that Edmonds
told him 'if what she knows is revealed, it
could lead to charges of treason being leveled against officials at
top levels of the U.S. government.'"

Senate
Hacking Inquiry WidensThe Justice Department opens a criminal
probe into allegations that Republican staffers
downloaded and read Democratic memos. The Justice Department
is opening a criminal investigation into allegations that Republican
staffers on the Senate Judiciary Committee improperly accessed computerized
memos by their Democratic counterparts between 2001 and 2003, Sen.
Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the committee's top Democrat, said Monday.

Bush
Regime to Court: Cheney Papers Must Be Secret
The Bush dictatorship argued at the Supreme Court on Tuesday that records
of Vice pResident Dick Cheney's
energy task force should be kept secret to protect the dictator's ability
to follow orders of the corpora-terrorists ['get discreet advice'] when
preparing legislation.

Key
Unanswered Questions: Bush's Record In The National Guard
(johnkerry.com press release) "'If George Bush wants to ask me
questions about that through his surrogates, he owes America an explanation
about whether or not he showed up for duty in the National Guard. Prove
it. That's what we ought to have. I'm not going to stand around and
let them play games.' -- John Kerry, NBC News, 4/26/04 ...Bush has said
he used no special treatment to get into the Guard. How does he explain
the fact that he jumped ahead of 150 applicants despite low pilot aptitude
scores?"

More
Cheney Misleading: Attack Dog Cheney "Disappoints" Host with
Low-Road Speech
(johnkerry.com press release) "Before misleading Americans across
the country in a speech attacking John Kerry today, Vice President [sic]
Dick Cheney misled his host – Westminster College – about the tone and
topic of his speech. Expecting an issue-based discussion on foreign
policy and Iraq, students, faculty and staff were instead treated to
a series of inaccurate, misleading and false attacks against Kerry.
The Vice President[sic]’s decision to “resort to Kerry-bashing” prompted
Westminster President Fletcher M Lamkin to email Westminster students,
faculty and staff expressing his surprise and disappointment and to
inform them that he has invited Kerry to speak at the college in the
coming months."

Kerry
skips Springfield, will counter Cheney speech in Fulton
Vice pResident Dick Cheney spoke
at Westminster on Monday. University president Fletcher Lamkin said
he was so "surprised and disappointed" by attacks made against Kerry
by Cheney that he extended the invitation to Democratic presidential
candidate John Kerry. Kerry will appear at the Fulton college at about
noon Friday before traveling to St. Louis.

Kerry
criticizes Bush over tradeDemocrat
begins 'Jobs First' tour in Wheeling Dictator George W. Bush has
failed to enforce trade laws that protect American workers, Democratic
presidential candidate John Kerry told a crowd of supporters in Wheeling
Monday. "To engage and win in the global economy, we must not only
open markets, we must ensure a level playing field for American workers,"
Kerry said. "When it comes to enforcing our trade laws, this administration
has been asleep at the wheel." [Yes, and hopefully it will have
a car crash.]

Specter
Wins Pennsylvania Senate Primary in Close Vote
Senator Arlen Specter, a four-term Republican known for his centrist
stands, turned back a ferocious challenge from his party's right wing
on Tuesday, barely defeating [Reichwing whackjob] Representative Patrick
J. Toomey in the Senate primary in Pennsylvania.